Wednesday 24 June 2015

Marathon Cerdanya

Last year I ran the Cerdanya Marathon and really enjoyed it so this year hearing that Naila was heading back again to do the physio work at the race I thought I might as well go and run again.

We(myself , Naila and Dakota) arrived in Puigcerda early evening on Friday and with grand ambitions to run the half marathon the following morning and the marathon on the Sunday. However Fridays evening meal at a local restaurant turned more towards drinking so Saturday mornings race did not happen even though(and this will shock some people) I was the one who went to bed early and was up and ready to race the following day. The others however were not so ambitious. Saturday evening I managed a little very easy jog in the local area with Dakota which involved making our own trail and almost being attacked by some dogs. It was good to get out for a leg stretch even though it was far from strenuous.

Montella , Cerdanya
So race day. I was feeling good. As per usual I had no idea what to expect. The weather was perfect , clear skies , no wind and not too warm. I decided to carry just 2 power gels and my soft Salomon flask in my pocket to fill up at aid stations if needed. I was amazed just how many people had big bags on for the race. Granted I have been there and on your first proper race you always pack way too much stuff but some of the bags I have no idea what was in them. The forecast was perfect so no extra clothes needed , great aid stations so really minimal food should be carried  and I actually witnessed someone with 3! yes 3 500ml bottles. Seriously the aid stations are not that far apart. You're going to do more damage than good if you drink 1 and a half litres between aid. Anyway each to their own and as I have said I have been there and done that. Nowadays it just so much more fun to run with practically nothing.

Off we went at 7.30am. The course was almost the same as the year before but had a slight course change in the middle and the end was on a different road making the course 3km longer. It starts on trail along side the river and climbs for about 800m , it's all actually very runnable in the early stages and I found myself being quite far up the pack. I was definitely working hard but for some reason I was able to keep going at this pace when on another day I would usually slow down a little. I just decided I might as well see how long my legs can go like this.

I was at 15km in what felt like no time at all and I was leap frogging back and forth with a guy. He was a much stronger runner than me on the flats but when we hit the rough off trail stuff or the descents I would steam ahead then he would catch on the flats again and so on. At around 18km I got to a descent I remembered from the year before. It was not technical but really smooth and fun from what I remembered so off I went absolutely flying down this section. I was having a great time here but I knew ahead of me lay a brutal uphill section that floored me the year before. Just as I was approaching the low point and the aid station out of nowhere I ended up airborne. I was so high off the ground I actually had time to tell myself that the landing was going to hurt. Then I hit the deck and actually bounced a few times further down the trail. I tensed up my muscles slightly and felt my right calf pull and cramp up but I jumped straight back not my feet and carried on down. I was in the aid station a minute later and was greeted with funny looks as I was probably the only one who had arrived there covered in mud and with quite a bit of blood running down my right arm and knee. Anyway I got hosed down and then put hands on knees and started the horrible climb.

Feeling the pain in my calf at the best section of the race
I hated this section in 2014 and it was no better here. It is just so damn steep for about 500m then it really eases off. I slowed down quite a bit here. My legs felt a little tired and I was still recovering from my fall. I only found out after the race that up until my fall at Km 23 I was actually in 6th position. I lost a fair amount of time on the climb and was pretty annoyed that I had fallen somewhere so mellow and easy. Naila met me here and encouraged me on until we reached the high point and aid station. I took nothing here and carried on.

Passing the lake at the next section really was pretty special. Such an incredible spot that was a new section for this year. From here it was lots of flowing sweeping trails until the last long descent. I again lost a lot of time on this descent as my head was just not in it. I still had it in the back of my mind that I had fallen and did not want it to happen again. I lost place after place and just gave up on racing and slowed it down and enjoyed being out running as best I could.

Exploring around Lac Annecy with Dakota and Naila
The final 5km was altered from the year before but it was still on tarmac and it was flat and a struggle. I don't really know how I kept any kind of pace here but the legs kept turning. By now my right calf was really giving me some pain and was incredibly tight but I made it across the line in 4hrs 42mins and in 20th overall. 43km 1900m.

I really did love the race again this year and every step except from the last 5km on road is brilliant running. I was just really disappointed it all was going so so well until I got my airtime and my head just went to mince. Normally my mental strength is something I am pretty happy about in my long races but this time it definitely got the better of me and affected the second half of my race. I am certainly not at all unhappy about the result. I was delighted to hear my position and time. If I can go the rest of the summer getting these kind of times and places in VK 's , marathons and longer then I will be very very happy come October.

Lac Cornu in the Aiguille Rouge
Since returning to Chamonix I have been working and running as usual. I ran home from work the other night via Refuge Bellachat and Aiguilette des Houches and I have been getting in some good descent work and the odd scramble. I still have to get some good back to back runs in but I have all of July to do that. After Cerdanya I finally realised I need to do something about my flat speed so I was at the track on Tuesday with Emelie to do some interval training. Yup I was at a running track! and to be honest I loved it. I can't see me turning into a track star but I think an hour every so often will do the world of good for my flat speed. This summer is so different for me as I am doing way less longer stuff but I am enjoying seeing what I can do by varying all my distances from Vk's to 100 miles.

Up and over on the run home from work
I am now off for two days and tomorrow I am going to rest the running legs and go climb up high. I have a slight pain in my left shin which just came on today so I am hoping it won't affect me on Friday as I will be running the Chamonix Vertical Km(1000m up in 3.8km) and I am very excited about this short and brutal race. It's the European Championship VK this year so I am not expecting to come anywhere near my Transvulcania ranking but pacing for a VK is kind of easy.....just go flat out and don't stop until your at the top.


Tuesday 9 June 2015

Summers Hotting Up

So it's been a month since Transvulcania and summer has well and truly arrived here in Chamonix. Most of May was just okay weather wise but things are heating up now day by day. The snow is melting fast so lot's of the high trails are now totally runable with things like Mt Buet still a week or two away from being clear.

High up behind the house
The past month has been a bit of a strange one. Some days I am going out running and feeling great and other days I feel terrible. Maybe I never let myself recover for long enough after La Palma but it seems to be sorting itself out now. I really haven't done much distance running at all in the past month. I have run fairly often to and from work which is 18km a day and gone on quite a few 10-12km jaunts on lunch breaks.

Heading to Refuge Tete Rousse
Even though I have been going easy on long distance runs I have been cramming in a load of uphill work. I am loving the trail up to Mont Lachat behind my house and it's an awesome 1200m climb on a really fun trail. I have also been doing decent Plan D'Aiguille runs on lunch managing to get up the 1300m in 1hr 09mins on the slightly longer(more runnable) Brand Bois trail and finally I have been up Aiguilette des Houches from the house and have a really nice 16km loop up and down which gets me 1280m of ascent. I have a marathon in Cerdanya this weekend which I am looking forward to. I ran it last year and loved it so I am happy to be going back to run on a slightly different course. As usual I want to go and enjoy and feel as good as I can for all of the race. If I feel really good then I will have a real go otherwise I will cruise around enjoying different scenery and landscapes and hope it's not quite as hot as last months race!

About to head down the Midi arete. The view
never ceases to amaze no matter how many
times I have be on it.
I have had a few fun trips up the Midi of late getting the lungs working hard at altitude. I have been up doing the safest things I can unroped without spending too much time on the glaciers. Midi Plan traverse , Pointe Lachanel and Cosmiques Arete are all great cardio workouts. All fairly easy outings compared to most things in this valley but for sure the north face sections on the midi plan which are really just a (very exposed) walk are slightly intimidating early season with that huge drop to your side on small icy footsteps. I managed to get my Cosmiques lap time down to 40 mins , station to station but I have a long way to go yet to get close to Kilians 1hr 25mins......for 3 laps.

Out with Woody and Kilian on the Cosmiques Arete.
Great snap from Kilian.
Out with this one again
I even had my skis up with me the other day to make things easier crossing the heavy soaking wet snow in the afternoons. I actually got some lovely turns off the midi arete in the morning but by 10am things were heating up really quickly and skis make it so much faster to traverse the Col du Midi rather than walking and constantly sinking. I can see myself using my skis for access this summer quite a lot.

Woody scrambling up Voie Caline
The plan for me now is just to stick with what I am doing. I love being able to mix up my running and easy alpine stuff in the summers. The running keeps me in shape for..eh....running and the alpine stuff gives me a break from the trails but keeps the legs and lungs strong for the races to come this summer and then there is work. Money needs to come from somewhere and I will be working all of this month and some of July and then its USA time in August. Surprise surprise I just can't wait to get back there but I am a little concerned that my next big race is the Bear at the end of September and between now and then my longest race is 45k(Tromso) I would really like to get a 60-80k race in at the middle of July but I really can't find one at all. I do always like to get a 50 miler done maximum 2 months before a 100 but it's not looking likely this year and I will have to be content with having finished Transvulcania however by the time the Bear comes around Transvulcania will have been almost 5 months before!

Solo day on Midi Plan Traverse and a wee bit of skiing.
So from next month I will up my mileages when I have more time free. Last years back to back runs mid week of  30 - 40 - 35km might this season turn out to be 40 - 50 - 45 but really I don't know yet for sure. I just need to wait and see how I am feeling. In between my back to backs I will be enjoying the high altitude climbing and getting in short runs in the Aiguille Rouge and with luck smash out some Mont Blancs from my house a few times over July , 3800m up , 3800m down...Excellent.

On top of Aiguilette des Houches, Another training run from the house.
So the rest of June is going to be Run , Climb , Altitude.......Work.