Today was short in terms of miles (14) but with a total ascent of 2330ft it was a hard day!
In my mind I thought I'll walk the steep bits and see how it goes. There was quite a lot of "steep bit" it just seemed to go on and on. I jogged when I could and when walking I was still pushing. The scenery was a lot like the second half of yesterday. This is my favourite type of run. Hills, trees, forest paths and not a soul to be seen.
At about 8 miles there is a n opportunity to go off track to a pottery and cafe. I decided to do this so I could fill up my water and have a lunch break.
It was like a small oasis. A rather eccentric Englishman gave me beautiful coffee and vegan cake!
The sun was out so I sat outside and enjoyed the surroundings for a bit.
It was tough to get going again ( all that cake) so I decided to walk for a bit. There weren't many miles to go and I wasn't in a rush to get to the end.
It wasn't long before I broke into a trot ( a slow one of course). I never run very fast and with a full pack, on a trail as part of a long trip I'm even slower than normal. However, it's still so much faster than walking.
The downhill today was much easier than yesterday. A couple of steep bits but lots of long rolling hills which made for some real joyful running. Yes I was enjoying it, stupid grin on my face the whole time.
As I arrived in drumnadrochit the sun was out and the place was bustling. I made my way to the B&B right on the village green.
As I arrived I met Berit who is also running the route. We arranged to meet later for dinner.

I should probably talk about pain thresholds here. There are very few parts of me which don't hurt at the moment. I spend a bit of each morning just checking if any pain is actually significant or if it's OK to ignore.
My hips are good, my knees have had their moments but generally they are also good. Legs are tired and I have been lying upside down with legs in the air for at least half an hour each evening.
My toes have been mashed from day 1 ( who needs 10 toenails anyway?)
My back is a bit bruised form the camel pack dropping down on day 1 but apart from that it's ok.
It's amazing how I start each day thinking I'll just walk and no pressure to run but after a mile or so I just feel ready to run.

The other annoying thing is my Nike watch memory is full! It's been a bit dodgy with recording but is more reliable than my phone which has had no signal for days.
I need to upload from the watch before I can record anymore. Berit has a computer so we'll try to sort that tonight. She is a life saver.