Hearts have been put through what is traditionally seen as the toughest day of pre-season out at Gullane.
Craig Levein’s players had been apprehensive in build up, those who had gone through the ordeal last your well aware that a “beasting” was in store.
It certainly looked that way from the footage, with plenty grimaces on show as the Jambos were run up and down the energy-sapping sand dunes on the East Lothian beach.
It might be punishing, but it will stand them in good stead in terms of developing a base of fitness for the long season ahead.
Whilst seen as old-fashioned in some quarters, Gullane used to be a regular pre-season haunt for just about every club in Scotland.
Indeed, Levein will have been put through it himself as a player by Alex MacDonald and Sandy Jardine in the 1980s, who themselves would have experienced it as Rangers players under Jock Wallace a generation before.
The Tynecastle squad will jet out to Ireland next Monday for a training camp, playing Shelbourne in Dublin before crossing the border at the end of the week to take on Glenavon – former club of Bobby Burns.
Competitive action will begin in just over a fortnight when Dundee Utd come to Edinburgh to kick off the Betfred Cup group stages on a Friday night.
The Scottish Premiership season gets underway on Saturday 3 August. Hearts are due to face Aberdeen at Pittdorie on the opening day, but that could be put back 24 hours should the Dons progress to the next round of the Europa League qualifiers.
Hearts’ first home match comes the following weekend against newly-promoted Ross County.
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