On Saturday I walked/ran 10.5 miles over four Munros to give the ultimate lower-body workout. On Sunday I washed, scrubbed and cleaned 10 metres squared of decking to give the ultimate upper-body workout. Today I am tired but feeling smug!

If you read this blog you’ll know that the G-Force and I like to bag Munros. We have a goal of becoming a bit faster in the hills and when we can (and if the weather is fine) we plan to walk/run a little faster with less kit in our rucksacks. It’s a balance of carrying the right amount of kit, water and food to be safe, but not so much that you’re to weighed down for walking at speed or running.

Hike/run four Munros in Perthshire

The G-Force and I enjoyed yet more glorious sunshine completing a round of four Munros at Invervar. They included  Carn Gorm (1029m), Meall Garbh (968m),  Carn Mairg (1041m) and Meall nan Aighean (981m). The route is described on Munro bagger extraoridnaire Steve Fallons’s excellent website The recommended route it anti-clockwise but because of the wind and the weather we walked in a clokcwise direction.

Steve suggested a running time of 3 hours for the whole route including 1450m (4,700ft) of total ascent and 10.5 miles. We took around 3.5 hours. To walk at an average would take about 5 to 6 hrs.

Going up is obviously tough. But running downhill is also testing. Going up and down the circuit of Munros is utterly exhausting. (There needs to be a drop of at least 500ft between Munros to allow them to qualify for the list of 283 in Scotland.)

We quick-walked and jogged the first section of uphill on a fairly easy-going trail. Heading off onto heathery moorland made running much trickier and so for most of the rest of the ascent to the first Munro summit we walked at speed. Stopping every so often for a breather meant we could take in the fabulous views and grab a snack to eat.

As I have blogged before, every Munro ascent is different. Some as so easy they can be walked in their entirety in a little over an hour. Some are so tough and remote that it takes two days to complete just one Munro.

On Saturday the route to the top of Carn Gorm was steady and reasonably taxing but only because we were aiming to go at a good speed. (We had a dinner date in the evening and we’d left the house a little late for anything other than speed!). Once at the top of Carn Gorm the next three Munros spread out along a long and undulating circuit but before we had stopped for a sandwich and a much needed can of cola we had ticked off another two Munros. Running was possible for much of the route and when the gradient became too step or rocky we simply slowed to a fast hike.

The final Munro in the circuit, Meall nan Aighean, required a little detour out to the summit and then back again but this only felt punishing on our legs because of the speed at which we had flown around the Munros. Start to finish in 3.5 hours is pretty fast for four Munros and extremely satisfying. We even made it home in time for a shower and a quick exit to meet out friends for dinner.

The big decking clean up work out

Sometimes you only need to take on a domestic chore to find an effective work out. After many years of dirt and green stuff building up on the decking (it was treacherous when wet during the winter) outside the house I decided to spend a few hours cleaning and scrubbing. The most effective method was to use a large scrubbing brush, hot soapy water and then a rinse down with a power spray.  The clean up required a lot of muscle and by the evening my upper body was aching. The decking looks beautiful, though!

Thank goodness for Monday yoga

This evening I head over to a friend’s house for our weekly Ashtanga yoga session. It will be more than a little painful as I put all of my aching muscles through a big stretch out but I’m sure it will see me fighting fit and ready to join a Canadian canoe trip on the River Spey tomorrow evening! LIfe is fun!