7 Ps - lost in Glen Tilt

How can you get lost in a glen someone said.  Well more of that later but believe me you can.
After the previous weeks hard running at the weekend I was given two days off and that recovery was exactly what I needed.  My quads were tired and a massage from the wonderful Sam Williams got them sorted.  But that wee rest meant I ran the next 5 days in a row with the big back to back runs at the weekend.
That brings me to getting lost in a glen! A pal had sent me a potentially 5 hour hill walk which looked good for the Saturday.  Unfortunately I didn't spend time studying the map until we were almost there.  Stuart & I ended up a dirt track at a farm with no clue where we were in relation to the map which we couldn't view properly as we had no signal.  I had an idea this might happen and taken a picture of the map but that was useless.  Fortunately we bumped into a guy who was heading off to the "orienteering championships".  He looked at my picture and led us to a parking spot and pointed us in the right direction - or so we thought!  Hope he got on ok in his event, if he ever reached it!
The scenery was beautiful and we aimed for the biggest hill around.  We'd been told there was a track right to the top which I'm sure is true but not if you're in the wrong bloody glen!  I'm sure I could hear the banjo's playing as we approached a house in the middle of nowhere and asked directions.  There was no way we could make it over to the right glen in the time we had so we decided to make the best of it and do an out and back instead.  The terrain was perfect practise for my ultra so I decided just to enjoy it.  The heat was extremely warm and water supplies were getting low but we had this wonderful flowing river beside us.  We took a break at half way and refilled our bottles from the river.  On the way back we had 8 km to go and I decided we should cool down so we stood up to our thighs in the river - sheer bliss.  The only thing missing was a cold beer.  After that chill out my feet felt brand new and the rest of the run was easy - 28km done.
The following day I had a 2 hour pacy run which I new I'd be doing on my own.  I wasn't looking forward to it but plugged the earphones in and headed out.  As often happens, the sessions you aren't looking forward to are usually the best and I smashed the pace over 22.5km in 1hr 57.
According to my amazing coach Genevieve it's all going to plan.  I'm getting fitter and stronger - the stats confirm it.  We went over the plan for the next 6 weeks so that I have a good idea of what lies ahead and can plan my diary around it.  Next weekend is going to be the peak of my distance running with 38km on Saturday followed by 26km on Sunday.  It's also at a reasonable pace so it won't be a "walk in the park".  This week is an easier week as I rest and get ready for the weekend with a reduced training schedule.
Getting lost in some ways was liberating as it seemed like an adventure but it won't happen again as I remember my 7 Ps (piss poor preparation precipitates piss poor performance).  Hopefully on Sunday night I'll have the energy to write my blog!