For those Harriers new to the WHW relay, here are a few pointers on the format and what to bring. We start very early on Saturday morning so, come dressed to run with leggings and warm tops on over your running gear as it will be quite chilly. Who is running which leg will be revealed on the bus. Everyone is assigned a leg and that person should wear their Calderglen Harriers vest when running their leg. Some of the more experienced runners may accompany some of the newer runners on their legs to take the pressure off on the navigation. However, don't be tempted to do too much before your own leg as all the legs are tough in their own way and every second counts towards us making it to Fort William before the hotel kitchens close (I'm not kidding!). With regard to navigation, all junctions where there is a turn off the straight ahead are marked with WHW markers on posts at and/or a few metres along the path you should be taking. Be particularly on the lookout for those. If in doubt, stop and look.
The minibus is quite tight for space, so pack a compact sports bag or rucksack for the weekend (think Ryanair cabin baggage allowance!). The forecast is for cool, showery conditions over the weekend, so bring appropriate clothing for running and hanging about in those conditions, particularly a running jacket and some layers. Bring your normal running shoes that you would wear down the glen or Chatelherault. The WHW is not the place to experiment with new running shoes. A few t-shirts, your club vest, shorts and socks. Bring clothing appropriate for the evening dinner at the hotel and on the Sunday we usually go for a relaxing walk on trails somewhere on the road back, for which normal shoes or trainers will be fine. However, if you burn easily, do bring appropriate body cover, a hat and sun screen for the running and for the Sunday walk. If we are lucky, it will be too early and cold for the midges to be awake at Rowardennan but if you suffer, bring your favoured repellent/net. Those on pre-sunrise legs have already been told to bring a head torch. However, even if you have not been told, you may wish to run with one of the early leg runners so bring a head torch if you are likely to be so inclined (and also to provide backup torches should someone forget theirs). I am hopeful that we will be in Fort William in time for a pre-dinner swim in the hotel pool so bring your swimming gear if you want to do that.
None of the legs are particularly long. 13 of the 18 legs are less than 10k and many are less than 5k. These shorter legs are all manageable distances without gels or carrying water. The more experienced and faster Harriers are on the 5 longer legs. Therefore you won't need massive amounts of food with you. A few sandwiches and snacks should be enough. Focus more on bringing liquids for pre and post-run hydration. There will be 10 litres of drinking water on the bus. There are a few locations (Inveroran and Tyndrum in particular) where there are shops/cafes where you can top up with a quick coffee and snacks.
The final thing to bring is plenty of enthusiasm as always!
If you have any questions, get in touch. I'll be at the club tonight for a committee meeting.
Alan
No comments:
Post a Comment