Balloch Horseshoe

My hamstrings have been a wee tad tender, so I decided to have a couple of days off. It's not an injury, just a bit of wear 'n' tear. To add to my cupboard full of magical potions, I tried magnetic plasters. I really don't know how they work, but magnetism has been used for pain relief for thousands of years. "Magnetism in this form will allow you to obtain direct magnetic strength to the affected area, stimulating the blood circulation, thereby diminishing your muscular stiffness and pain." I didn't realise how bad my hamstrings were until I went to my yoga class on Thursday. I could barely touch my knees, let alone my toes.




So on with the plasters. I've got a line of them down the backs of my legs. Marco totally freaked out, as he said it looks like nipples. I kinda feel like a coo. But hey, they seem to have worked. Or maybe it was the rest or just generally time since the race... I was a bit cautious when I started out this morning, but all is good.

Tom - maybe this is something you could try?

I was up at the crack of dawn. Although I love light mornings, it does mean I'm as bright as a button from about 5am - much to Marco's disgust. I headed out at 8am to a gorgeous spring morning. Although there was a strong and chilly wind, it was bright and clear. Fabulous views of the surrounding hills and the snow-capped Ben Lomond.

I haven't done the Balloch horseshoe circuit since December. Namely because I sickened myself off it. It's a glorious 10 mile route - killer hills for the first few miles - on country roads. I finished the horseshoe in 1:13:32 and home 1:22:11. (The last time I did the course 1:15:54 and 1:24:20). Splits were 8.37, 8.29, 9.38, 8.22, 8.38, 8.02, 7.55, 7.16, 7.13, 7.51, 7.39 (average 8.12). My aim is get under 1:20, but I'll wait until after the WHW race.