North Berwick to Seton Sands

On Saturday morning I joined Brian on a training run for his 56 mile Glasgow - Edinburgh ultra race. Ultra runners are mental, the goalkeepers of the running world, and commonly run marathon distances as part of their TRAINING!  Well that was what Brian did on Saturday, he ran 26 miles from North Berwick to Edinburgh.  I obviously wasn't up for that but I did join him for the first 15 miles to Seton Sands.

I along with fellow HBT members (ha!) Anna, and Sandra, I met Brian at Waverley Station where we all caught the train to North Berwick.  Kata, having gamely got up and jogged to the train station with me and fully intending to join in the run, had to go home because she wasn't feeling well and didn't want to risk a 15 mile run.  It was really disappointing for her and for me as not only did she feel unwell, but she also missed out on the run that she was really looking forward to.  The four of us that remained caught the train at 09:12 and headed on our merry way.

Arriving at North Berwick we wasted no time and practically jogged off the train.  We were underway while our respective GPS devices were still trying to locate us.  We ran from the train station, through a housing estate, and joined the John Muir Way near the coast.  We'd follow the John Muir Way for the duration of the run (apart from a 1 or 2 mile diversion where we kind of got a bit lost).

Hey!  Ho!  Let's GO!

The first few miles were along a beach and the going was good due to the wet sand affording good grip.  It felt really good to be out running in company and to have a change of scenery, something a bit different from my usual selection of routes.  The scenery was at times beautiful and particularly the beach between Gullane and Aberlady where the sea was like glass, the light was incredible, and the beach vast and empty.  It was absolutely stunning and I felt so lucky to live somewhere where I can run in such surroundings.  The weather was perfect for running, it was cool, misty, and not a breath of wind.

Beautiful

The first time we got slightly lost was where we run through Muirfield Golf Course (home of The Open in 2013) and had to stop to ask a couple of golfers how to get off their fairway and back onto the path!  They were very friendly and happy to help.  Seems like although women can't join the club, they can jog through the course - go figure!

It all got a bit 'cross-country' in places

The second time we got slightly lost I think we just missed a turning.  What I know for certain is that we ended up negotiating some very difficult, deep, soft sand, and then what can best be described as a marsh.  I was grateful I had gone for trail shoes over road shoes.  Trail shoes or no, I ended up with wet feet and tired legs.  The run was  a lot more difficult after this accidental obstacle.  We found our way out of the marsh by running alongside an electric fence, and found the path again but not before annoying a group of bird watchers set up with their cameras and binoculars on tripods pointing straight at us.  I'm sure we scared away any birds for at least the next hour and maybe even ruined a rare nesting site forever! :-)  Sorry bird watching guys.

 Brian and Anna still looking quite fresh

Our pace was steady.  I didn't have any problem with the distance, but I did get tired after running for two and a half hours and the marsh/sand didn't help.  By the time I was done Sandra was still going strong and I felt that Anna was with me and had had enough for one day.  Brian was determined to run all the way to Edinburgh!  Seton Sands was the site of The Breaking of the Fellowship.  Anna and I got the bus home, Sandra ran on ahead to (I think) Musselburgh (18 miles in total) and Brian soldiered on to Edinburgh.

The Fellowship (Brian, Anna, Sandra)

It was a really enjoyable run and I felt a bit stiff on Sunday morning.  Thanks to Brian, Anna, and Sandra for the run and the chat.  I'll definitely be up for joining some or part of future ultra training runs.