OMG, 23 with AGH

I was planning to get the 1st train to North Berwick and then run home with the wind behind me. I'd had a brain fritz though and thought it was only 23 miles. WRONG! It's 23 on the road but quite a few more on the beaches and trails.

Anyway, my friend Amanda (AGH) said she was going to meet me at NB station and run back with me, at least part of the way. Both of us are meant to be training for the Fling and are way behind. Amanda's a much better runner than me even at my very best but....training for ultras is all about time on feet...isn't it?

The plan of running back from NB was to get the stiff north-easterly and snow behind us - and that was a pretty good plan. It was baltically cold. Then from time to time the sun came out and tricked us into taking things off - then the dark clouds swept over with snow and hail.

The first 10 miles or so were fine and passed very quickly. They were also the nicest miles and we knew that. Heading back into "civilisation" is always a difficult direction to go in, even with the wind behind.

At Aberlady, sadly, there was pas de pain au chocolat and the coffee machine isn't fixed yet. I had a nasty cold banana with a hard bit in it and a little lion bar. And a few mouthfuls of diet 7 up. It was hard to drink because it was too cold. When we set off again I had a little while dedicated to burping back bubbles making AGH declare I was just like her dogs.

In truth I was pretty much done by then, but couldn't think of any excuse to bail. From there the difference in AGH and I's abilities became more and more apparent. She'd run off ahead and then come back to me - looking fresher every time. I tried not to feel sorry for myself (lie! I felt sorry for myself), whilst shuffling along like Eddie Izzard. At the invisible line between Seton Sands and the Pans we stopped at the Coop as AGH has discovered the chocolate twists they sell there. I thought I didn't want anything - but I did want coffee, or maybe I just wanted to stand still, so we went into a coffee shop over the road for a carry out coffee. Then we hid behind a wall to get out of the wind. We weren't the first people to do this as a hole in the wall was stuffed with Marlboro cigarette butts. I quite fancied one but Amanda said no.

I had half of Amanda's chocolate twist (she did insist) - my they are delicious - but I'm sure they're making them smaller than they used to. Then I span out my coffee so long Amanda made me start walking. There was a pattern emerging. OMG AGH, don't be hard on me. I'd have quite happily bailed at this point - about 17 miles by now, but I still couldn't think of an excuse. The miles ahead didn't bear thinking about.

About now I began to realise my error in thinking about the distance from NB to Edinburgh. So Amanda began to formulate a new plan that would give me my 23 miles and end up at her house in Musselburgh. "Don't worry too much about the 23 miles AGH" I tried to tell her - but she was determined. After the first lagoon in Musselburgh and before the 2nd one I begged for mercy. "Can we just go the very straightest easiest way?" She relented. I was utterly Izzard by then. As we arrived at Amanda's house. (Up a hill!) the Garmin was showing 22.8 miles so we ran up to the top of the street and back to make it up.

Job done. I wish I could have been a little more heroic about it. Never mind. That was super-hard. I could have got a train but Amanda ran me home and now I am still sitting in all my layers and better do something about it. Peter is blogging his 60 mile weekend as we speak. I'm quicker at blogging than him anyway.

You'll notice the camera never came out again after Aberlady, where there was an impressive knitted Easter scene.