Finally, I ran to the top!

The first time I took the G-Force to run Dumgoyne hill, near Strathblane, I was fairly confident that I'd at least keep up with him. After all I've summitted this 1400ft scenic icon several dozen times and almost always as fast as I can go. Never, though, have I managed to run All The Way.

I believe that the G-Force was aware of this Dumgoyne Holy Grail but I didn't think he'd actually go ahead, on his first attempt, and tick it off. Of course, he was the perfect gentleman runner for all of, erm, about 10 minutes, before he made a bid for the top, running all the way - and, yes, you guessed it, Totally Trashed FionaOutdoors.

Surprisingly I wasn't really that bitter about it. Fair nuff, I thought. He's a fit bloke, he's an obsessive Munro bagger and he's very determined. I just posted away the memory with a wry smile in the part of my brain that is labelled "I'll Get Him One Day".

And yesterday was the day! I wasn't feeling particularly fit and I didn't feel that energetic but I was going to give Dumgoyne my all. To begin with I actually thought I was going to be able to run the hill (and there is a very steep, long section for most of the hill) non-stop. But even the G-Force had not done this. While he'd run it all the way he'd had to stop a number of times for a breather. I think I took five "breathers" in total and I can't describe my running as anything more than jogging very slowly at times but I still did it. I ran all the way from the top to the bottom without ever slowing to a walk.

Better still I had started at Strathblane and take in a two or three-mile undulating warm-up run before even getting to the bottom of Dumgoyne, followed by the same run on the way back.

I have to say that the G-Force took the news well. Although, when I causally mentioned the run from Strathblane first he did splutter a little. I can't see it being long before he's missing a day of Munro bagging for another go at Dumgoyne.

A little healthy competition certainly ups the training regime!

Hill tops!

Dumgoyne is the first hill I ever ran with my husband (after a big night out and with a hangover. But that's another story!) – and the place where we subsequently got married in 2006. Standing proud at the edge of the Campsie Fells and only about 15 miles from Glasgow, the 1400ft (400m or so), rounded-top hill is a pretty well-known landmark. 

... And it's a place I can never resist for a short, sharp hill run. Today was a case in point.

Setting out from Blanefield with a couple of pals we had every intention of running the undulating trail that skirts the base of Dumgoyne and heads on towards Killearn. We reckoned on about 45 mins out and similar (!) back. We had absolutely no plan to climb Dumgoyne.

...But then as we rounded the corner towards the path that leads off and up Dumgoyne I somehow couldn't resist the suggestion that we make a diversion to the top of my favourite hill. 

And so we pushed up the steep, leg-zapping front of the hill before finally linking with the flatter path that heads round the back of Dumgoyne to the summit. 

The only problem was that because we thought we'd be doing a trail run we were wearing normal road trainers. I have never climbed Dumgoyne without wearing my trusty Inov-8 off-road trainers - and I doubt I will again. Much of the hill was water-logged (kind of like heading up through a muddy waterfall!) and rather than being able to run we kind of slipped and slid our way up and down the hill. 

Still it was totally worth the effort. Every time I reach the summit of this hill I am over-awed by the views. On occasions I've been able to see as far as Ben Lomond, Scotland's most southernly  Munro, but whatever the weather and whatever the season the view is fantastic.

However, there is always a little touch of anticlimax compared to our wedding day. On that day, Glengoyne Distillery, which sits at the bottom of Dumgoyne, sent up some of their staff with whisky to greet our 60 or so guests. They did not charge us for this amazing service, but seemed as delighted as we were over our special Dumgoyne wedding! (Actually, when i think about it: Whisky combined with the skid back down Dumgoyne today would have surely ended in disaster!)

In total we ran 7.2 miles and climbed a total of 1000ft elevation. Not bad for a wee Saturday afternoon jaunt.