Ruby Piroska and Braids XC

On Saturday 14th November I ran the Braids XC race, and was supported by the newest addition to the family, my amazing little daughter, Ruby.  Let me take a minute to update everyone on how that wee bump that Kata ran Blackrock 5 with all those months ago, came to be a wee person that was supporting her Daddy at last weekend’s race. 

Ruby Piroska Laverty was born on 23^rdOctober and she and kata are doing brilliantly.  Ruby is thriving and although just 3 weeks old, she is growing in front of our eyes and having her in our lives is a joy.  Yeah, she can be grumpy, she takes up all of what used to be o free time, and is severely restricting my racing (I missed out on Southside Six), but every time she stops to stare at us and you can see her wee mind working away and thinking things over, it’s worth it 1000 times over.  It feels like she has been here for 3 years never mind 3 weeks and Kata and I are absolutely over the moon, or as they say in Hungary, “we could catch a bird”.    

Here is the amazing wee girl…

Bless.

So Ruby made her HBT debut on Saturday, and along with Kata came along to watch me run around The Braids Hills twice.  I’ve missed a couple of The Borders XC series already this year due to looking after my daughter,  but this race was only a 10 minute drive away so thankfully I was able to make this one.  The race is organised by Edinburgh University Hare & Hounds running club, who are closely associated with HBT.  I have both walked and ran The Braids several times before so I was quite familiar with the course which was a kind of XC trail race with a wee steep hill thrown in for good measure.  Traditionally in XC, the men and woman run separate races, with the women’s event being shorter.  This is always controversial and on this occasion both the shorted and longer events were open to both sexes, with a few people running both.    I don’t have time for that sort of nonsense now so I signed up for and then ran the longer “10k” event (really it was 9.35k) that was 2 laps of the shorter race’s course.

 

Blessed.

I think the race started early and as I was walking to the start line everyone already assembled there started running, so then so did I.  This meant that I started from the back and was caught in traffic for the first 1km or so in a narrow, uphill section of the race.  It didn’t hinder me too much if at all though, as the field was strong and made up of what seemed to be 90% club runners.  As I pushed on up the hill trying to find gaps to press ahead through, I saw familiar runners around me that both I should be beating, and runners that should be beating me, so it was a chaotic first 1km for everyone.  The hill section of the race was the first 2km of the first lap and it is a short, steep, and tough climb, tackled before you have caught your breath.  Once at the top, the trail down was very narrow and rocky.  I was stuck behind a slower runner ahead of me who I had time to notice was wearing entirely inappropriate shoes and was struggling to stay on his feet on the slippy descent never mind race!  Once I managed to get by him I made up some time on the downhill (I love my Salomon Fellraisers).  As is traditional for XC, the weather was cold and wet.  The rain stayed off for the race, but underfoot was muddy and there were several very large, deep, and unavoidable puddles that had to be ran straight through – no matter, once you have ran through one big puddle, your feet can’t get any more wet.  The rest of the course was pretty much flat with some very minor ascents and descents.  I ran as fast as I could, mercifully overtook a runner with a large, stuffed toy cow on his back, and on the whole made my way up the field.  I was also overtaken a few times but on balance I’d say I improved on my place pretty regularly and consistently.  

A fraction of a second later and this would have been a fantastic photo.  Unlucky, Kata :-)

Muddy as usual. 

Support for HBT was strong from the (mostly) girls of HBT who’d ran the pervious even and were now cheer leading, and also from the Hare & Hounds.  I heard some personal support for me as I neared the end of the first lap as (I think) Anna and Amelia shouted something along the lines of “Go Steve!  Who’s the Daddy?!”  which made me smile.  The best was yet to come as I reached the start/finish line to start my second lap and Kata was there with Ruby.  Ruby looked unimpressed (she may have been asleep), but I’ll always remember the first time my daughter turned out to watch me race. 

Tackled the hill for the second time, ran around the course again, and finished is a respectable 45:35   197^th out of 253. Not since last year’s Borders XC races have I been so far down the field.  It’s to be expected, the competition is very strong.

Me, Kata, and Ruby.  All winners :-)

Worth noting that as I tried to catch a runner ahead of me, I changed my running style again just as I did on The Great Scottish Run 10k.  I relaxed and tried to be more graceful, and just as I did the last time, I made up the gap and passed the runner ahead quite quickly.  I think I am definitely on to something if I can just remember to try this from the start the whole way around next time.  

Well done to Rachel who won the 5km event, then ran the 10k and finished 5^th!  

Great Scottish Run 10k

On Sunday 4th October I ran the Great Scottish Run 10k.  This was a last minute decision and I signed up for the race simply because it was advertised as...

DNS

Haile Gebrselassie's last competitive race.  I couldn't resist the opportunity to tell the grandchildren that I had ran in the last race of a legend, and possibly even deny Haile's to tell his family about the time he once ran in the same race as Steven Laverty!  As it turned out, HG (as I am now going to call him) wasn't able to take part due to his sister being ill.  Unfortunate, and hopefully his sister recovers well.  

As it turned out, it was a fantastic event anyway and I have already signed up for the half-marathon event next year.  The festival atmosphere around the 10k and half-marathon races was the best I have ever experienced, and Glasgow has really shown Edinburgh how to put on an event.  Running through the city centre was amazing, the crowd were present all around the course, and the support was fantastic.  Glasgow is a different type of city from Edinburgh for sure, and I think much better at putting on this type of occasion.  

I had been working this weekend and after a 20 hour shift finishing at 1am, I awake at 6:30am totally befuddled.  I had no idea what was going on when my alarm went off, where I was, or what my name was. I got up anyway.  Kata kindly got up to give me a lift to the train station from where I made the short trip to Glasgow.  The train was full of runners (who else at 7:45 on a Sunday morning) and the festival atmosphere was already building.  It was standing room only.  

7:30am, delirious, and ready to run

I arrived at Glasgow Queen St Station and stepped out into George Square and into the middle of a party.  The music was load, and there was barely a patch of ground to stand on never mind warm up.  I therefore went to my starting area early and joined in the group warm up that was orchestrated by a man in a leotard standing on top of a crane!  Turns out I was in a different (and faster) wave than I thought I was at the start so it's lucky I decided to get an earlier train.  We got underway at just before 9am (race started was none other than Paula Radcliffe) and I started the run up the St Vincent St hill.  

People's Palace

Now....I had no expectations time wise for this race what so ever.  It is a hilly course, starting up a steep road, and later on crossing The Kingston Bridge which as well as being the highlight of the race, is a very large and steep road bridge crossing the River Clyde in the  centre of Glasgow.  That combined with the lack of sleep, I was happy just to take part and complete the race.  My only aim was to run in under 45 minutes because...well...just because.  

There was none of the usual delay at the start.  Everyone around me set off at a good pace which was great - no dodging and weaving required.  I completed the first 1km and crested the big hill in 4 minutes 20 seconds.  Not bad!  I then settled in to just running at a decent pace and taking it all in.  I remember a guy standing outside his shop with a microphone and speaker, blaring out what I am ignorantly going to call "Bollywood type music" and doing amateur commentary on the race.  It was hilarious and I dare say wouldn't happen in Edinburgh.  At 3km we crossed The Kingston Bridge and it was a thrill to be allowed to run over this major road artery and cross the River Clyde.  I just kept looking left and right and taking it all in.  

So true.

Shortly after the Kingston Bridge I witnessed the most broken corner cutting I have ever seen in a race.  Sometimes in these big events where the road is congested, runners will cut a corner marginally so as they don't need to stop or slow too much.  But what I saw here was shocking.  This guy must have knocked about 200m off the race distance - at least!  Someone near me shouted "Oi!" at him and  a nearby marshall yelled at him too.  What was the point in that?  I hope he was embarrassed.  If it had happened at the sharp end of the race it would have been a clear disqualification.  

Glasgow Green and the finish

Starting to get tired at about 6km (and heading towards Ibrox Stadium) I noticed a runner ahead of me whose style looked absolutely effortless.  I tried to copy them and be more gazelle like, and what do you know, it had an almost immediate impact.  I've been running for a long time now and copying this one person in the middle of a race made a huge difference.  Within 500m I'd left the person I was copying in my wake!  

Crossing the River Clyde again (this time at The Squinty Bridge) the crowd was now several people deep and the hairs were standing up on the back of my neck.  I didn't feel tired anymore.  Heading in to Glasgow Green I felt heroic and realised I was now on for a totally unexpected PB - mostly due to the fantastic support and my new, languid running style.  I crossed the line in 42:11 which was fantastic.  

Post PB Selfie

Unfortunately I was back at work that day so had to shoot straight home to Edinburgh.  I felt guilty about leaving the party early, but I had to, and that's why I decided to sign up for next year straight away.

This was a highlight of my running career and I can't recommend it enough.

I was 9.6km into the race before I heard someone shout at me "H...B....T!!!!"  A new record. 

Yes, but 281st out of how many?!

The Scottish Half Marathon 2015 or "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner"

Last weekend I ran The Scottish Half Marathon.  I signed up for it after running The Edinburgh Half in a time of 1:32:45 after next to no training, and I picked The Scottish Half as a chance to get a sub 90 minute time.  Spoiler alert:  it didn’t happen.  

Kata drops me at the start and I'm still smiling

Once again I failed to train (although I am still running EVERY day) and rocked up on the day of the race more in hope than expectation.  I was going to try to get a sub 90 minute time, but I was determined not to be disappointed if I didn’t – after all, it’s not as if I worked hard for it or anything.  Kata dropped me off at the start and it was at this point that I made the fateful decision that due to the heat (unseasonably warm for September) I would for the first time ever, run in only my vest.  You know how Rule 101 of running?  The one that everyone knows and only an idiot would ignore? 

“Never try anything different on race day”

Well I am that idiot.  Suffice to say that on Thursday, five days after the race, I had blood on my work shirt as a result of injuries sustained by running 13.1 miles in only my HBT vest.  The chaffing and bleeding was intolerable.  My triceps were the worst.  I ended up running with my elbows up by my shoulders to try to stop my triceps from rubbing on my vest – I looked like the world’s shortest DJ spinning some tunes at his decks. 

Curse this vest that is presumably made from on the finest fibreglass!

The race in itself was pretty dull.  We started near Tranent and ran to Musselburgh.  The first section, the road we were running on had a vanishing point!  Long, straight, lonely, dull.  My pacing was decent and I was hitting bang on 4:15 a kilometre which was what I needed to break the 90 minute barrier.  I only started slowing when the chaffing became too much and I got super grumpy.  With 5 miles to go I really, really, really wanted to quit, but I had to keep going as  DNF is much worse than a bad time.  Kata had hoped to meet me in Port Seton but she never made it.  I realised then that I wouldn’t see her until the end.  The highlight of the race was undoubtedly Cockenzie and Prestonpans where the village was out in force to cheer us on, spray us with garden hoses, and generally keep up our spirits.  It as hard to keep up my spirits as it felt like someone was holding a match under my upper arms.  I was really slow by this stage and running more than 5 minute per kilometre whish is atrocious and a slow training run never mind anything near race pace.  There was a guy running next to me for the last 2 or 3 miles that was practically rubbing shoulders with me and this didn’t improve my mood.  I felt like running down a side street just out of interest to see if he’d follow me.  

The race finished at Musselburgh Racecourse which was actually brilliant.  Because there was a bar.  And I needed a drink.  I sat in the sun with Kata and a fellow HBT runner (the only other one at the race I think) and drank enough to make me less grumpy.   

Giant medal.  Although the medal and souvenir t-shirt look reusable from last year to next year. 

Not a good race.  Not just personally, but I think as an event it’s a bit…meh. 

This is the first time I’ve ever ran a half-marathon and not got a PB.  Next time. 

Stirling 10k 2015

Wow.  Over a month since my last blog update.  That must be some sort of record in itself, and not a good one.  What better occasion to post an update than the return to the event where last year I set my PB in what is what I consider to be "my distance".  And so what follows is a race report on the Stirling 10k 2015.

Number pinned and ready to go... 

I awoke at 7:30am on Sunday morning to eat porridge ahead of the race at 10:15 - Stirling is about a 35 minute drive from Edinburgh and I wanted to be there in good time to get a parking space at the race start (Forthbank Stadium home of Stirling Albion FC) and to warm up.  Kata had planned to come along to cheer me and the other HBT club runners on, but she was fast asleep, 8 month pregnant, and I couldn't bring myself to wake her up - it turned out to be the correct decision.

2km fun run gets underway in glorious conditions.

Yes, it certainly is.

The weather was fantastic, perfect running conditions and only if I was being really fussy would I complain that if anything it was maybe a wee bit on the warm side.  Not a breath of wind and clear blue skies.  As I said, this is the race where last year I set my PB time of 42:30 and so I was keen to run it again even if the hope of matching or beating that time was  forlorn one.  This time last year I was well into my Most Runningist Year Ever, and racing regularly.  This year, although still running every day (this was Day 463 in case anyone is still counting), I wasn't racing so much, my enthusiasm was not great, and I feel like I am a bit over my fighting weight due to excessive cake consumption.  Still, I needed a target and 42:30 (or 4:15 per km) was the target.  The course is quite flat and lends itself to achieving a good time.

I set off at a good pace and the first 3km were achieved in about 3:55, 4:05, 4:05, so pretty good allowing for the usual, initial, race start over enthusiasm.  I settled into about 4:15 per km for the next 4km so was well on track for a good time with the "time in the bank" I had made in the first 3km.

Stirling Albion - First British football club to play in Japan (apparently)

The kilometre between 3 and 4 was not a good one for me.  I got hit on the back of the leg by a discarded water bottle, then nearly had to stop to turn sharp left on to a narrow bridge.  This cost me about 10 seconds I think.  No matter, a PB was out of the question (wasn't it?) and my time was pretty good considering my lack of training (a better runner than me once told me that "racing is training").  At the 7.5km mark my left hip was sore to the point of a slight limp and my legs were tired - I wasn't being let down by aerobic fitness, but my leg muscle strength - this is unusual for me.  Ah well, I pushed on to the best of my ability.  I remember last year reaching 8km and thinking, "blimey, I am on for a good PB here", running like the clappers, and racing a guy next to me to the finish.  This year I had no such motivation.  However....at a sign that said "400m to go" I glanced at my watch and saw that to make 42:30 I'd need to run 400m in 2 minutes.  Doesn't sound hard as I type this from couch, but I was knackered and I didn't think it was possible.  The next sign said "200m to go" and I glanced at my watch and saw that I had 45 seconds to make a good and total bonus PB!  Wow!  I could do that!  I dug out a bit extra from somewhere and crossed the line in a NEW PB TIME of 42:23!!!  Absolutely delighted and  wee bit shocked.  I didn't quite vomit at the finish like I did in my last race, but there was a lot of coughing and spluttering.

Just goes to show, if I trained I'd be dangerous.  :-)  I feel inspired now to try harder and I'll try to make that inspiration stick.  Next year's Stirling 10k is already in my diary.

Accept

Here's this year's shirt, same as last year's shirt.  I think my new Adidas race flats made me run faster. 

Berwick Law Hill Race 2015 (Or "Either Be Sick or Shut Up")

II’m back.  After a pretty unenthusiastic July where I managed to keep up the running streak more out of habit than anything else, I am determined to get back on track and start enjoying my running again.  Part of that is recording what I am doing and updating my blog.  So yeah, I’m back.  

Berwick Law Hill Race was one of the highlights of last year so I was very much looking forward to running it again.  It’s a fantastic, short race (about 5km) up and back down Berwick Law, starting and finishing at the harbour.  Last year I remember what seemed like the whole town being out to watch and the cheers and support as we came back into the harbour was fantastic.  Well it was the same again this year and this race is now firmly established as one of my favourites.  I had checked last year’s results and I had 27:23 to beat.  Looking at the times of other runners that I knew, I thought that 26 minutes something would be great, and 25 minutes something would be a miracle.  

Arriving at the start there were a lot of brown vests and I found a position near the front of the pack and on the signal of the starter pistol we were underway.  My lesson learned from last year is to reach the gate in the wall about 800m from the start as quickly as possible to minimise the impact of being caught in the bottle neck.  I achieved this and was hardly slowed at all as we squeezed through the gap and headed upwards towards the eponymous hill.  The terrain is ever changing and you are barely running for 2 minutes on tarmac before it changes to trail before it changes to hill then trail and tarmac again.  The other lesson learned from last year was that fell shoes are no use when you get off the hill and are trying to run at speed down tarmac, so this time I went for a compromise and wore my new Saucony Excursion Tr8 in anger for the first time. This was a good decision.  

My new trail shoes

The race is tough.  Short races like this allow no time to slack off and then make up for lost time, so I set off at a good pace and kept it up the whole way.  Starting from sea level and then running up the 187 m (614 ft.) high hill meant that it was uphill straight away which is always hard.  I was blowing and puffing all they way through the park area until I reached the car park where it levelled off for a bit.  The respite was brief and then it was straight up the steep ascent of Berwick Law itself.  My aching quads as I type this are testament to how hard it was.  I pushed as hard as I could and reached the top in relatively short order, received my wrist band to prove that I had reached the top, then started my decent.  Thanks to Kata and Abby who were standing halfway up the hill and shouting their support.  I heard them form a mile off and it was very welcome and appreciated.   

A couple of stolen pictures.  I'm concentrating.  

The downhill section was good.  I am normally garbage at downhill running and can’t get over the mental barrier of braking as I run down.  This time though was fine and I overtook quite a number of people on my way down.  My new shoes seemed to do a good job and I remembered some advice I recently read about treating a fast downhill run like a tap dance.  Small, quick steps.  At the bottom of the hill there is a short, not very steep ascent, and I tried my best at this stage to push on up the hill.  I consider myself to be a road runner and thought I might be able to make up some time on the (presumably) hill runners that were around me.  I ran as fast as I could and I was shattered.  During the uphill my left leg buckled slightly underneath me – I was officially tiring.  Cresting the uphill at the school  it was all downhill from here (only in running is the expression “it’s all downhill from here” considered a good thing).

Brian and I apparently competing for "Most Camp Decent".

Running back down through the park I heard a coach from Edinburgh AC encourage one of his runners with the advice, “Only 1000m to go, 2 minutes!”.  I think even downhill I’d struggle to complete 1000m in 2 minutes – I presume he was joking!  In the end I think he was right about the time but not the distance.  Running back through the gate and into town it’s hairs on the back of your neck standing up time.  The cheer of the crowd (and I use ‘crowd’ advisedly) was amazing, the bagpipes very welcome, and there was a policeman stopping traffic for us.  I was running as fast as my legs would carry me and was overtaken by an Edinburgh AC guy on the home stretch.  There was nothing I could do about it, I was already at maximum effort.  In fact, I was beginning to feel quite nauseous and I could feel the bile rising in my stomach.  Unfortunately I crossed the line and then immediately found a quiet corner to be sick in.  I completed the course in a time of 25:44 (TBC) which before I started I would have considered miraculous.   

So I am very happy with that race.  I ran the best I could, I left nothing out there, and the organisation and atmosphere afterwards was all I remember it being.  The fish ‘n’ chips and beers later were most welcome and I am looking forward to next year’s race already.      

Kata in the pub afterwards (drinking apple juice). 

Parkrun Volunteering #2

On Saturday Kata and I volunteered to marshal at Portobello Parkrun.  This was my second time volunteering, and where as previously I was barcode scanner, this week I had promoted to Time Keeper.  As we prepared to start Portobello Parkrun in the pouring rain, the weight of responsibility lay heavy on my shoulders.  

Raining and not pleased about it

Essentially the job entails starting the race by saying “Go!”, starting the stop-watch, and presing the clicker every time a runner crossed the line.  Sounds simple (and it was), but one false click, one wrong button pressed on the stop-watch,  and that’s Parkrun times for this week stuffed.  Forunately I managed to avoid disaster and pressed all the right buttons at all the right times.  Kata was working with me which was nice and her job was to check every 10^th runner (or so) to confirm that the token number they were given concurred with the placing I had given them on my clicker.  The weather was atrocious after a week or so of Summer sun so the number of runners was lower than usual and the scope for error reduced – we finished with everyone in the right order. 

3...2...1...Go!

It was fun to stand with my hands on my hips watching other people run!!!  Well done to everyone who got out of bed to run three laps of Figgate Park in this weather – I am certain I wouldn’t have bothered.  The other volunteers were a friendly bunch and I really enjoy the more intimate Portobello Parkrun compared to the larger, more established Silverknowes.  Maybe next time I will join the after race coffee drinking in the café over the road?  Well done to all the volunteers too for getting out of bed and going out into the rain to allow the runners to have a run to run.  

Click, click, click, click, click....

I highly recommend volunteering at Parkrun.  It’s not hard and it really makes you feel part of things, like it’s YOUR Parkrun.      

As I didn’t run Parkrun, I instead ran the 4 miles or so home to complete 396 of consecutive running. 

Great, Scottish Summer

Great Volunteers

End of June 2015

It's been a strange month.  Started with the finish (of Most Runningist Year Ever) and finished with a New Start.

The title of this 'end of month' post now includes the year.  The figurative year of running runs on, and on, and on, and...

Count:	33 Activities
Distance:	211.61 km
Time:	20:38:36 h:m:s
Calories:	17,695 C
Avg Time:	37:32 h:m:s
Avg Distance:	6.41 km
Avg Speed:	10.3 km/h
Avg HR:	148 bpm
Max HR:	169 bpm

I got over 200km for the month which is always the (sort of) target. 

The Actual Soup Run...Again.

Wednesday was the latest of the actual Soup Run Races.  It’s actually called The Roamin’ Nose 4 Mile Summer Run, but there is free soup so it’s the Soup Run!  

Rachel was involved in organising it this time because the usual organiser has left The Royal Bank of Scotland (where we work).  I actually ran with her a couple of weeks ago to help find a suitable new route to (presumably) mark the start of a new era.  Kata isn’t racing at the moment so was on hand to help ‘marshall’ the race by puring the water and cava for the thirsty runners afterwards. 

Here is the route, 

As the name suggests, it’s a 4 mile run around the cycle paths close to the office.  I enjoyed tis new route as it was entirely on cycle paths with no roads to cross anywhere.  Rachel had been out earlier to chalk arrows on the ground to guide the runners, and I was given a piece of chalk to add any extra arrows that I thought necessary during the run.  Marking the route while running the race!  No pressure there to stay up the front!  I am notorious for getting lost (see previous blog update) so I have a good ee for where directions are needed.  In the end I stopped twice to add new arrows and I think this cost me one place.  The first time I drew an arrow I was overtaken but I made the place up again.  The second time I was overtaken again but couldn’t catch up.  

My Garmin shows where I stopped to draw arrows.  Not sure what the middle dip is all about.  

My pace was pretty poor.  I was running my 10k race pace but by the end of this 4 mile (6.4km) race I as flagging and exhausted.  Must start some speed training.  Really.  I have no problem running the distance at the moment, but I need to up my fitness and pace.  

Started.  Organisers Rachel and Kate on the left.  

Finished and looking pretty happy about it too.  

Great fun race, well organised by Rachel and our colleague Kate, and well marshalled by Kata.  Thanks a lot to The Roamin’ Nose for providing the free soup.  It’s a great wee café/bar/restaureant with great food and occasional live music.  I can recommend it to anyone visiting Edinburgh.  Also it was a good effort in raising money for The Yard, a local playground for children with disabilities.    

I really enjoy these Soup Runs and I’m glad that they will be kept going. 

"Bonus" Update

Ran to OCP today.  Here I am enjoying a pint in the beer garden during this wonderful Scottish Summer. 

I've been drinking this pint for 45 mins.  It keeps filling up.  

Sóller to Deià - The 'Top Gear Challenge'

News has recently broken that Chris Evans will be the new host of BBC’s Top Gear and will be holding open auditions to find the rest of his presenting team.  Kata and I would like to put forward the following application to be the personalities he is looking for by describing the Top Gear Challenge that we set ourselves while on holiday in Mallorca. 

We attempted to walk to walk from our hotel in Soller, to the picturesque town of Deia.  We had to abort the attempt just under half way as it turned out that walking through the mountains of Mallorca in 30 degree heat while almost 6 months pregnant is ill advised.  Who knew?  Still keen to go visit Deia, we decided the next day that Kata would take the bus to Deia, and I would run there and we would meet about 12:30.  Well…Kata then suggested we make it a race and I said that it sounded like a Top Gear Challenge.  The rest of the idea thought itself up.  We chose a finishing point, the church on a hill overlooking the village.

11am and I have a 1hr head start.

Kata would catch the 12:05 bus that was scheduled to arrive in Deia at 12:25.  At 11am I took the Son Castelló Path from Soller to Deia and set off at a brisk jog into the already 26 Celsius heat to attempt to beat that bus.  I wasn’t sure of the distance I had to run but the owner of our hotel said it was “at least 12km”.  I knew from the walk the previous day that the first 4km was all uphill on very rocky terrain.  The uphill finished at a restaurant (of sorts) called Son Mico and this is where we stopped for coffee and cake the day before and then decided to turn back.  It had looked as if Son Mico marked the end of the difficult, uphill terrain and I hoped that would be the case.  

Typical terrain

Nice views along the way

I reached Son Mico (3.76km) in 27 mins.  Yesterday it had taken us 1hr 43mins to reach this point so I was doing well.  I sent my first update to Kata and confidently (arrogantly?) predicted that she should “get an earlier bus”.  It wasn’t much longer before I reached another sign telling me that it was 40mins to Deia and 1hr 35mins back to Soller where I had started only 40 mins ago.  This was too easy!  Worst Top Gear Challenge ever!!!   I was wondering what I would do to kill time in Deia while waiting for Kata to arrive.  It was another 20 mins before Kata actually boarded the bus and I was already a 60 minute WALK away from the finish.  

1h 35min? Ha! As if!

But Kata is leaving the hotel...

However, as with the best Top Gear challenges, there was a twist in the tale.  Some jeopardy to make the  story more interesting, and the victory more sweet.  Basically, I got lost.  A few times.  Even one time when I wasn’t lost I thought I must be and retraced my steps to make sure I hadn’t missed a turning.  The signage did deteriorate and get more sporadic in the last 5km and there were AT LEAST two occasions where I reached a fork in the road with no indication of which way to go and naturally I chose the wrong way.  I’m afraid to say that I did get a bit annoyed at one point and also a bit fed up with running down dead ends and around in circles.  The first cross roads I reached brought me out of the woods and onto a road, as in a road for cars.  I updated Kata on my progress and this obstacle, and she told me that she was on her way.  Now it was starting to get interesting!  After deciding to run downhill, I reached a busy main road with no indication of whether I should run along the road or across it.  I searched across it on the other side but couldn’t see a path so ran along it for a bit.  It was frankly dangerous.  No pavement, a windy road, chances of getting run over on a blind corner quite high.  I thought that this couldn’t possibly be right and retraced my steps all the way back to the woods.  Seeing a post with screw holes on it where there had clearly once been a sign, I decided that this must have been the right way after all and with not a lot of confidence headed back to The Road of Death.  Finally I found  another sign pointing to a trail off the road which was a relief in two ways; 1 – I was going the right way, 2 – I could get off this awful road.  

Oh there's a wee blue warning sign.  Thank God!

But Kata is at the bus stop, hot on my tail, and I am assured that she is fully clothed.

A bit further on I reached another fork in the road with literally no indication of which way to go.  I guessed wrong and ran down a steep hill where I found the beautiful Cala Deia where we would eat our lunch later.  I later discovered that I could have ran down to Cala Deia and then picked up another path leading to Deia, but without the benefit of this knowledge I ran back up the steep hill to reach the fork in the road and go the other way.  Annoying.  Seriously.  

So......which way?

Not this way.  Cala Deia.  It's good but it's not right. 

Finally, after another couple of minor deviations from the correct path, I reached Deia at 12:28 to find a map (hallelujah!) with no ‘You Are Here’ marker (aaarrghh!!!).  I ran around for a bit more before giving in and breaking out the iPhone and Google Maps.  Kata texted at 12:34 to let me know she had arrived in Deia.  Oh no!  Looks like I was beaten as I was still about 1km from the church which was at the top of a very big hill.  I ran up the hill half heartedly, already mentally beaten, exhausted and shirt saturated with sweat.  I paused on the stairs to take a photo to document the last leg and plodded the rest of the way to the top where I found Kata smugly sitting on the wall waiting for me.  Turns out she had arrived there and had had been waiting for me for a whole 5 SECONDS!!!!  :-D  There is a lesson to be learned here I am sure about running the race to the end.  Ah well, Kata had got a bit lost as well and had to find her way to the church from the bus stop so fair’s fair.    

Kata attempted to slow me down by sending me texts during my run which I had to stop to read, but in fairness one of those texts was a helpful map.

We have been back from Mallorca for 3 days now and Kata still reminds me of her victory at any opportunity.  I don’t really mind, the run was great and if I ran it again I would know where to go and I would be able to relax, and be able to knock about 15 mins and 2km off the route!  

The route.  10km?  I ran 12km.  Oops!

The best Top Gear Challenges are close affairs and this is how it proved for us.  If Mr Evans needs my phone number or further evidence of our suitability to present, then I can be contacted via the Comments link below.  

Defeated by a pregnant woman in flip flops.