Arrankudiaga Trail Lasterketa - 21km

 After a week of not running at all due a stomach virus today I was feeling my old self again and set out for a trail run in this small village Arrankudiaga a bit south of Bilbao, Spain. I arrived very early and first picked up my bib-number and walked around town and the surroundings. 

the local church and starting area

the mountain of the first climb, though not all the way to the top

Nervion River

the profile of the race

Then I changed into my running gear and started my easy warm up. It was neither cold nor warm and luckily this afternoon there was no rain forecast and also the previous days the rain had been not much in quantity so the trails should be relatively dry and mud free. Just before the start I met up with Ana and her husband Raúl and had a quick chat with them. They would run the shorter that would start half an hour later. At 15h30 we were counted down, ofcourse in the basque language, and of we went. The first few hundred meters were still somewhat flat, but even before leaving the village the long first uphill started. It had a almost flat section shortly after and when that ended, around 2km into the race the real climb started. In spite of not doing much running I thought I would be still in good shape and able to actually race so I did not hold back going uphill at 6min per k pace. 

the runnable part of the first uphill through a beautiful forest

The following kilometers had sections so steep I could no longer run, though I kept pushing as hard as I could until we reached the first aid station where we have a another very steep section uphill and where the shorter trail run of 8km would turn right and start the downhill.

I quickly refilled my bottle with water and continued. Soon I reached the highest point of the race. The views here are really nice!! 

The Ganekogorta, the highest mountain in the area, where I trained a lot earlier this year

The downhill was rather steep but not complicated and I maintained good pace. I knew that running the 10k under the hour would be impossible with so much climbing, but I wanted to at least race and run hard to see what times I was capable of. Since there was no official 10k time I estimate I passed that mark just under 1h12m. The downhill had flatted out and this section was very runnable upto the next aidstation at Basakoetxe 11,3km.

Once again I quickly filled my softflask and continued. Next up is a steep section. For the second time my left shoe had loose laces so I had stop and fix that. Here I started to feel tired eventhough I was still pushing hard and running even the not too steep parts of the uphill. 

This area is much drier and after we reach the highest point a steep downhill follows where I start to have cramps in my calf muscles. That was a new thing for me, normally, if I get cramps it is in the thigh muscles. This ofcourse slows me down for a while, but I try to at least keep running all runnable sections and after a while the cramps fade away luckily. Around 1h45 in we reach the Zolloko Reservoir just before the 15k mark. We go all the way around and the trail here is narrow and irregular. 

The Zolloka Reservoir

a fellow runner, too bad the picture turned out badly focused

Not too long afterwards there is a stretch on paved road. Here I started to have some pain in both knees and going downhill is slower because of that. The people I was running with slowly pull away and I arrive in Zollo, the next aidstation at 17km around 2h15m. 

The last aid station in Zollo - 17km

Only 4km left and basically it is all downhill from now on. The steeper sections are somewhat painful but on the flat I can run without pain and still at a decent pace. Here I sent a message to Ana, just in case she and her husband were still waiting at the finish line. The last kilometer was just a matter of getting it done, and indeed Ana was filming me at and the finish line. I finished in 2h44m47s on a 68 place of a total of 107 runners which I was happy with. I had to pay for the lack of training since the Ultra Pirineu some weeks ago, but I enjoyed the run. 

Ana and Raúl had a very good run as well and this is certainly a race I would repeat if it aligns with my calendar. As always thanks a lot to the organization and all volunteers and to Ana for the picture and video at the finish line!

Ultra Pirineus - 60k

 After months of training as much mountain as possible and a not so optimal last week just before the race Saturday 3rd of Octobre is finally here. The weatherforecast for today has forced the organization to change the distance and route, so we will "only" do 60km. I arrived rather early on Friday and slept in the car after a week of having some sort of flu with light fever and slight constipation, but I thought I recovered well enough to give it a go. The start is at 5h30 so I woke up around 4 o'clock to eat breakfast and put on my gear. Just after 4h30 I entered the starting area. This time I wanted to start more up front knowing that the first hundred meters we go down a very narrow alley which is slow, but better for the first runners. 

At 5h30 we were counted down with same Celtic music the play here every year and off we went. It was not very cold this morning and the first part is on asphalt on a wide path which later changes into a wide dirt road. After one hour we finally start the real climb up to La Tosa d'Alp. As always this part is very slow since we are still bunched up. I make it to the first aid station just under 2 hours and fill my second drink bottle with water and quickly continue. The next section is very steep for quite some time and here I start to feel somewhat dizzy and it does not get better once we approach the summit. What helps a little is the beautifull weather we have this morning.

Just before 3h30 I passed through the aid station at the top and start the steep downhill. I could notice I trained downhill much more than the two previous times I raced here. It was easy going even though my dizziness did not go away and at some point even my stomach started to protest which is very early in the race for me to have that happen. For quite some time I did not drink and slowly my stomach eased a bit. 

When we approach the next aid station, Refugi Serrat de les Esposes, we once again go down a steeper downhill section through the forest, and this also went more easy and soon we are on a wide path and after have the final short climb to Serrat. In that climb I still do not feel very comfortable, but it is short and I just push on. At the aid station I drink some Coca Cola what feels okay to the stomach and prepare my hat with some extra coverage for the very sun-exposed climb the follows next. In spite of the sun it is not really warm. The climb goes ok, though I don't feel much better. The section afterwards along a winding path through the forest with a slight uphill followed by a downhill goes much better.  Another runner just in front of me seemed to have cramps so I gave him a few salt capsules which should help. The next aid station is not so far away and soon we get there and once again I drink Coca Cola and some water. I also empty my running shoes that had filled up with small stones and then started the climb to Coll de Pendís. I arrive there after just over 8 hours. 

This is around 38km so almost the marathon distance and for me around 8 hours is actually very fast. The next section is where we change route due to the weather forecast. We go down to Refugi Sant Jordi, which is only about 1km down hill. And after we continue to an area that is called "els Pedrats". Here we have to cross the creek that runs down the valley many times and at some point the valley becomes a very narrow gorge. This section is a bit more tricky but I manage to climb down the rocky sections and soon I am back on a normal path that leads to the next aid station, 

fellow runner Albert Folch Palmés - dorsal 562 - crossing the creek without poles is quite tricky

Aula Natura better known as "els Vents". Here I once again feel my stomach is starting to become upset. I drink some Coca Cola and soon after continue. Still 15km left and a steep climb of 600 meters to start with. This climb I do very mechanically. At some point it started to rain a bit. Just a very faint drizzle. I don't feel to well and just slowly go up until I finally make it to Coll de l'Escriga where a group of volunteers is cheering on all runners. They said the final part of the climb was more easy, but not so much for me, but I make it to the last aid station Turbians. I drink some water here, and almost immediately have to throw up. Since there was an ambulance here I asked the people there if by any chance they had some medication for an upset stomach and luckily for me they actually had! After taking the medication and some 10 minutes of pause I am able to drink 3 mugs of warm soup and started to feel much better. So on I went for the last part of the race. Feeling much better I can actually enjoy running again. 

From time to time it rains a bit, but nothing too serious and after quite some time running a very narrow trail that is almost flat we start the downhill to Bagá. This part is somewhat slippery but I can still comfortable run it all until we finally hit an asphalt road again. Since I did not really prepare the new part of the route I had no idea how far it was to the finish line and this section seemed endless. I pushed myself to at least keep running all the way to the end and then finally get to the classic entrance of Bagá, crossing the bridge, then the steep ramp up and turning into the old village centre. Eventhough I must be one of the last runners there is still many people cheering me on and I finish in 13h38m47s. 

the smile says it all

As always many thanks to the organization and all the volunteers and especially to the 3 ladies of the Health Care Services at coll de Turbians that made the last section down to the finish so much easier!

Also thanks to my fysiotherapists at Kinea and David Blanco Schultz who with accupuncture speeded up my recovery process of a inflamation in my left calf and took away the discomfort I had for months at the back of my right knee, both crucial for enabling the large training volume needed for races like this.

And ofcourse many thanks to my wife and kids for supporting me on the whole journey to once again toe a start line. 

GARMIN EPIC TRAIL SKY 24K

Since the last race I gradually was able to start doing more quality training sessions and todays race, the GARMIN EPIC TRAIL SKY 24K, was an excellent test to see where exactly I am in my fitness. The race starts in a small town, Barruera, in the spanish Pyrenees in an area that is widely know as Vall de Boí, which is situated on the west side of the Aïgues Tortes National Park, a very beautiful alpine area with many many lakes, streams and pretty extreme mountains.

The track of the race was typical of the "Sky race" format, steep up steep down with quite technical terrain. We stayed in an appartment very near the start area, and I say "we" because in this race I was joined by my son Jordi. Sunday around 8 o'clock we walked to the start area, I was not feeling too great in my stomach so I did not do a warmup, Jordi did and after we went through the material check into the starting box and waited until it was our turn to start. The women started 15 minutes before us. Which helps in spreading out runners in the first kilometers. At 9h05 it was our time to start. The first kilometer is rather flat, for the same reason to stretch the field a bit, but as soon as we hit the first trail we had to stop running completely because of the jam the change of rhythm caused. Jordi started more up ahead than me so I hoped he had better luck and could move better here. After quite some time we started to get some sort of pace going. The trail is mostly narrow and climbs up to a village called Durro. On the uphill we will not enter the village, but cross just outside onto a more steep and rocky section. Some stopped here to drink water, but I still had plenty of water on me so I went straight passed. After the more section we turn onto some sort of ridge that does climb slowly and then flattens out until we come up to the next aid station at the foot of the long and steep climb to the top of the Corronco. I quickly will up my waterbottles and start the climb which is basically just walking up a mountain slope. There is not really a path eventhough all the feet that have passed here more or less created some sort of path but the steep incline will make it that with rain and snow everything moves around again. Many people start to struggle here, but I feel quite comfortable with my pace walking up step by step. It is the typical steep climb that seems neverending, in part because progress is slow when you go up very steep. At times the pace will drop to 50 minutes per kilometer because of the gradient of more than 40 percent. I reached  the summit of the Corronco in just over 2h30. Once again I quickly filled up my bottles and continued onwards, not knowing exactly how difficult the terrain would be on the crest of about four kilometers that lied ahead of us. The first thing that I already more or less expected was that would looks like a rather flat crest is actually rather steep down and then once again steep up and the terrain is only partly runnable for me. At points the path is so steep we have to use hands to climb up and climb down and at a few points the organization had put in place some ropes to assure a safe passage, but all in all I made decent progress. What helped a lot too is that up here there is a rather cool and strong wind blowing so I no longer feel very hot. The last part of the crest is somewhat more easy and then we start the downhill into the valley of the Boí-Taüll ski resort. Only the first few meters are somewhat tricky, the rest was just very steep downhill running with quick and short steps and I managed to run the whole part upto the next aid station in the ski resort where we were warned that the cut-off time was in somewhat less than 15 minutes. So I once again filled up my bottles and eventhough I took a bit more time here the fact that the cut-off time was very soon pushed me to just go. The next "small" uphill was way longer and steeper than expected. On the profile it looks way less than in reality but still I make good progress in spite of starting to feel tired. After that a long downhill section followed. First along a grass covered path and at some point we just go straight through the fields downhill. I can still run most of the section but at times I have to take some breaks to catch my breath a little bit. My pace is rather slow but going faster would not help to get to the finish faster, so I just tried to run as much as possible untill finally we are near Durro and run on asphalt for a while. By then I knew that I would go just past 6 hours. The passage through Durro is quick. Once again someone was spraying those who wanted with cold water. It is very warm and it helps to cool down a little. Leaving the village we enter a cobble stone path, so we have to watch out and carefully place our feet. Just after we pass a creek and before and after is quite muddy. At a water crossing the organization placed wooden planks, but in general I try to avoid wood, because it can become very slippery. A runner that passed at the same moment, indeed slid down when one of the planks moved out of place and luckily he managed to stay on his feet. The final part of the downhill is at least in the shade, though the forest is very humid. I was very happy to finally come out of the woods onto the last flat kilometer. My family was waiting at the end of the walking bridge just before the finish line and Jordi who arrived some 20 minutes before me ran with some meters before I entered the last meters to the finish line. I finished in 6h06m54s, very tired, but also quite happy since in general I had good sensations. After drinking and catching my breath for a while I joined my family to walk back to the appartment.

Jordi 5h45:24.94

Lurretza Gueñes Skyrace - 20k

For work I stayed in the Bilbao region for the weekend and found this 20k race in Gueñes that runs up to the Eretza mountain and back. I have done some training going up and down that mountain and I know it is both very steep and very beautiful.

After an early breakfast I made my way to this small town and it was still somewhat damp and misty when I arrived there. I seemed to have rained a bit during the night, but the weather forecast for during the race promised decent weather.

I walked to the start area and lined up for picking up my bib number. It is still cold this morning, but 

i decide to straight away go for just a T-Shirt guessing that it would be warm enough to run without a second layer. My plan for today was to try and run again for the first time in more than 2 months. To get a good feel for how my muscles are today I go for an easy warmup heading out of town a bit to do some up and downhill running. Just before 9h30 I am back at the start area and soon we are on our way.

The first stretch is on an old road, quite steep uphill, but wide which allows for the group to spread out. At some point we turn on to a smaller dirt path and we still are too many bunched up, but luckily this narrow path is short and soon after we are back to a wider path and from then on we are spread out enough to no longer have to queue on the uphills.

After a short climb on an asphalt road we start the real climbing for the first time. I feel perfectly fine and really happy to be out for a run today.

The last part of the climb to the first summit is really technical and the first section of the downhill is just the same. I take it slow and let other runners pass. Today most of all I want to finish without falls and losing some time is not a problem at all. After some slippery sections we finally make it to a much more runnable part.

From time to time we can see where we are going next, the peak of the Eretza. This part is really nice. Rolling single track paths that are very runnable and it doesn't take to long before we start the long climb to the top of the Eretza.

The second aid station is right at the bottom of the climb and we can see faster runners come down a very narrow and steep path that looks very tricky, but we start the climb on a wide path untill we take a left onto a what is a called a "Pedrera" a slope with loose rocks going up very steep.

 I scrambled my way up and have power enough in my legs to keep pushing in spite of the incline. Once at the top of this rocky section we continue on a narrow path with steep sections and gradually we climb above the tree line.

The last part to the top there is no path, just running and walking across the green grass surrounded by cows and horses. 

After a very short stop at the top it is time for the downhill. For a long time it is between steep and very steep, first on grass, then onto the narrow very technical path I mentioned before. Luckily there are things to grap a hold of to make sure I don't slip and fall and I make it safe back to the same aid station where I drink some water and then continue. 

The rest of the downhill is more easy to run with some flat sections and short uphills in between. I take it easy to make sure I don't push my body harder than I already did with this run and finished in 3h22m20s. Quite a bit faster than I expected and I am double happy with that.

As always many thank yous for the organization and volunteers for making the race possible and I will certainly come back if the calendars align.

Trail Vallforners - 28km

 For more than a month I have an issue with my left soleus. It is not torn, but inflamed, in spite of resting and after building up strength, running made it flare up twice, so I have to crosstrain for now. I already tested walking on a treadmill with a decent incline and that goes well and is ofcourse good mountain trail training since many uphills I will walk. I also tried on a local steep hill how downhill fastwalking plays out and that too does not bother affect the injury, so I wanted to try and see what that was like in a real trail race I had signed up for before the injury.

In the description of the race it was mentioned that it was not at all easy, so I hoped I could do a 5km/h average and make it back in less than de max time of 6h30 the organization gave us. The Trail Vallforners starts in a small town, Canoves - Samalus, on the south edge the Montseny Natural Park. I arrived early to pick up my bib and prepare for the race. It was very cold and also wind gusts and more cold was expected in the afternoon, so I put on 3 layers to at least leave and walk the first kilometers in warm clothes. Other runners were wearing gloves, but I didn't think I would need them. 

At 8 am we started and since I expected to go last anyway I started at the back of the pack with the sweeper crew just behind me. Soon I passed another guy that started out even slower and in the more steeper uphill section I passed many people. But most of them made up the time in the downhill, since walking downhill is just not fast at all. After passing the first aidstation at 5km in under the hour we started a second much more steeper and technical climb and the downhill afterwards was also very tricky until we turned onto a winding single track trail al the way to the second aid station around 12km.

 I was still doing a bit better than 5km/h on average and the winding trail continued for quite some time. All the way down to the Vallforners valley and then we started the second long climb of the day. 

Also very steep and technicall and at times my pace dropped well below 4km/h. At the end of the steep part of the uphill we arrive at  the "Ermita de Sant Salvador de Terrades". People dressed up as monks and were commenting every move of the runners and cheering us up with funny comments. Right next to the "Ermita" I briefly stopped at the aid-station. 

Almost 3 hours in now and soon after I have my first low. Luckily it only lasted for some 10 minutes and afterwards I feel normal again. The downhill is once again complicated and the fatigue results in sometimes almost loosing my footing, but I make it without falls to the the part where we enter a wider more easy path. Around 22km I arrive at the last aid station. 

Tired but still well on schedule for finishing under 6 hours. The last climb once again is tricky and steep as well as part of the downhill. At some point I was forced to briefly run downhill just to keep my footing, but I did not fall and continued. All foot muscles in the foot and ankle are on the edge of cramping. Very technical terrain and lack of training is a good combination for that. Finally we reached the end of the downhill and entered an almost flat and wide and easy trail.

I keep up the high pace walking eventhough it is somewhat slower than in the beginning and soon I arrive at the edge of Canoves were we first have to cross the creek that comes down from the Vallforners valley.

After that it is not long before we arrive at the finish and I was happy to have gone out and give it a go. I finished in 5h36m16s