Encore, Les Pentlands

I had planned a small recovery run last night after work, leaving me fresh for a longer run in the Pentlands today as the forecast said "Sunny".

While I was out my recovery run however I was enjoying it so much, especially just being out in the air after working all weekend, that I ended up running as hard as I could. It was encouraging in one sense, think it was my 2nd best time ever for my usual route round Arthur's Seat, but today my legs were less than fresh as a result.

Anyway, it was a bright sunny day as forecast and I took off in el go-kart del diablo and headed for the hills. It took a while to get through town as the summer visitors are arriving already. What the hell do they want? En route I saw Lucy Colquhoun, elbows up, bounding up the road at the Queen's Park. It was good to see as she has been injured and we have heard nothing about her. I beeped her as I passed. Hope she figured out this was support.

At the Pentlands I guiltily snuck my headphones on as there were some lovely rural sounds to be heard (also some gunfire) but I do like setting up a good mix with Genius on my ipod based on whatever is floating around in my head and then hearing what iTunes has put it with. Today for some reason I woke up with a Georgie Fame song "Sunny" in my head (maybe cos it was Sunny, genius.) so I imported my GF cd onto iTunes, chose Sunny, pressed "Genius" and voila, a very eclectic mix; lots of the Cure, the Fleet Foxes, quite a few slow things; Neil Young, that crazy Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons, some Marc Almond, a few songs by Joy Division. Who would have thought?

So there was perhaps some dissonance between what I was seeing (beautiful, peaceful countryside) and what I was hearing (urban despair, angst, other things) and it led me to think about just why I have such a particular liking for a lot of music from the 80's and the early 90's. It drives Peter crazy. He thinks its just nostalgia. And maybe it is. Maybe its something to do with being a teenager in the remote countryside of the Orkney Islands and longing to be somewhere else. I loved "London Calling" by the Clash and anything by spooky Siouxsie and the Banshees and the noisy sounds of the Buzzcocks. All at odds with the bog-cotton stirring in the breezes on the peaty, heathery hill-sides and the sound of the pee-wits and curlews.

I like a bit of both. A bit of wilderness and a bit of city...

Went from Flotterstone along T'house, Carnethy, Scald Law, S. Black Hill, E & W Kips, Drove road to Harlaw reservoir and right along and back up between the hills at Bells Hill and Harbour Hill, down the track onto the road and back to Flotterstone. 10 minutes quicker than the last time I did it even though I felt slow and sore, particularly later on.

Chuffed to see I got a link from Billy the Shoe's blog. I'm not worthy!

13.1 miles in 2hrs 28 mins. 11.25 pace (I think) avHR 141

16:00 Sunny Temp: 12°C Wind: ENE 12mph Hum: 49% Press: 1030mB Vis: Good