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

Cursa Sant Antoni - 10k

 After the half marathon of last week today an easy 10k run near home. Recovery has been slow ofcourse and I have no expectations for todays run. The fun part is that Jordi, my son, also signed up and he was going to try and break 40 minutes. After yet another very very rainy day, today luckily we woke up to a rather cloudless sky, though it was very windy and cold. We left early and got off the metro at Plaça Catalunya to run to the  start area from there. We took of the warmer layers and left them in a backpack since we would certainly need them after finishing. In the drop off area I see one of my trail buddies, Barend den Drooge. He is running as an assistant runner with a visually handicapped runner.

The warmup was just some easy running and soon we entered our start boxes. I had arranged for Jordi to be able to start in the green box, but he forgot his bracelet so he would start more at the back. In the end that would not matter too much since his box was the first of the second wave, meaning he would have a clear road ahead of him as well.

At 9am we started our run and the first 2k is mainly being carefull and not fall since there are people that go slow up front and others that go fast coming from behind pushing and cutting you off. As soon as we turn on to Gran Via. As always I went out quite fast but I just went with it and up to 5k I was just behind 45 minutes pace. Just before the 5k marker Jordi passed me saying he was doing ok. After the 5k I slowly had to let the 4m35 pace go and around 9k I was close to 5m per kilometer pace. I saw on my watch that with a 4m50 I maybe could just go under 48 minutes, so the last kilometer I pushed a little bit and indeed just managed to finished under 48 minutes with a time of  47m59s. Jordi accomplished his goal and ran 39m25s, which for the amount of training he does is a very good result. Also this will help to get into a better box for upcoming races.

The coming weeks I will start training for the next Ultra season, but maybe I can slot in some shorter races.

La Mitja de Granollers - 21km

On the 29th of January, the day after the race in Castelldefels I made a wrong move training in the gym and injured my lower back. The day after I had an appointment with a Physiotherapist at KINEA, so instead of doing leg work we fully focused on the lower back. With a list of exercises to do every day and no running for what I expected to be at least a month my first concern was to at least be able to travel for work on the 12th of January.  The first week all movement was complicated and a week later at the PT and more release massage on the whole of my back the PT suggested to try some running to see if the body would tolerate that counting on muscle memory. So the next day I went to the gym to do an easy upper workout and then tried to run one kilometer. It was very uncomfortable, but at least I could finish 1k. Two days after I repeated and this time it was slightly more easy to finish 1k. The week after I did some slightly long runs of around 4k with some strength training in between and eventhough I was not at all sure I could run on sunday I did pick up my bib number for the half marathon of Granollers on saturday.

Back home I went to the gym to try and run 3k on the treadmill at a normal pace, and much to my surprise that went very well. So I decided to try for the impossible and go and run 21km.

The weather forecast was not too good, predicting rain througout the morning. On saturday it already had been raining very hard, so hopefully it was just less rain than the day before.

When I arrived and parked my car it was already raining, so I was happy to have taken with me full gear for bad weather.

I walked to the sports center where we could drop of a bag and changed into my running gear, more or less dressed as I would do for an ultra. 

Some people in spite of the cold and rain still went out in minimal clothing, but I did not want to risk catching a cold today.

Just about when I arrived at the door to see if it was still raining it seemed to have stopped so I left for a a short warmup run. It soon started raining again, and it didn't seem to be stopping soon. I went to the starting area and around 10h30 am we started our run.

My plan was to first just go slow and see what pace that would be. After the first very crowded kilometers it seemed like a good pace was around 5m15, which maybe would allow a sub 2h time. I passed the first 5k in 26m21 and I was just mainly trying to go easy and avoid the puddles that were everywhere. Slowly we left Granollers on our way to La Garriga, where we would turn around and go the same way back. Around 7km the front runners came by already heading back to Granollers. Meanwhile I was battling the short uphill stretches before reaching that town and passed the 10k marker in 54m13 already running 5m30 pace, but still feeling quite ok. The way back was more downhill though in the first kilometers upto about 16km we still had a few short climbs. I passed the 15k mark in 1h21m42s still feeling ok, but soon after I gradually had to slow down and when entering Granollers again, still under the pooring rain, I slowly lost pace and the final kilometers I did near 6m/km pace. I did manage to finish just under 2 hours, in 1h57m15s, which given the total lack of training I was very happy with. Also I did not have any pain in my lower back, which also was a good sign.

Next week a shorter run of only 10k, after hopefully a good recovery.

La Cursa El Capó Puja al Castell - 6,5k

 In stead of running one of the typical "last day of the year" races for several reasons I decided to such race a few days earlier. After quite a few days of really really bad weather in Catalunya we were very lucky to have being able to run without rain. I arrived early the Olympic Rowing Canal on the edge of Castelldefels near where my son goes to the UPC University. I picked up my bib number and slowly started my warmup. 

I had some small aches of the previous races and also my right foot had a stitching pain from time to time, buy luckily it seemed that I could run ok and the strides during the warm up felt ok, though not great, probably because of lack of speed training. Around 8h45 I handed over my backpack that the organization would carry to the finish area, since this race is not circular and eventhough it was rather good weather it was quite cold and putting on some extra layers when finished seemed like a good idea.

At 9am we where counted down and after a first few hundred meters of doing a slalom to advance slower runners I finally settled into a more constant pace. The first kilometer, because of all the passes I made went by very quickly in 4m11 (time on watch) which is very fast for me nowadays. The second kilometer I still could maintain that pace with 4m15 and then I slowed down a little bit to at least being able to breath and not overdo it and struggle to much to the end. The first kilometers we ran around the "Canal Olimpic", which is very flat and straight and after a bit more than a full round we turned right to go in direction of the center of Castelldefels and run up to the castle there. My pace dropped slightly to around 4m30 which I could hold without too much effort until we start the zig-zag climb to the castle which I could maintain in just under 6m pace. I finished with a decent sprint in 28m06. Very happy with how it went and also enjoyed the race a lot, maybe I will repeat in the coming years.

Jean Bouin - 10k

 Similar to last year, the Jean Bouin 10k fitted well into my agenda and we got up early to get to the starting area with time to drop of my bag and do a long warm-up. In the past week, after a very low volume week before, I did quite a bit of running and even some faster than 5k/min pace training. Just like last year I had no clue of where what my 10k pace is so I just tried to go on my feelings. The warm-up went quite well and with some 15 minutes to go I entered my box and tried to get as far up front as possible, knowing from last year that this race is very crowded and thus slow in the first kilometers. At nine o'clock we started our run and I managed a 4m40 first kilometer running very aware because of tight space we had to run in. Soon after we turn up to Gran Via which is very wide and allows for a more steady pace. The second kilometer, like last year, I ran at 4m30 pace and this time I could quite easily hold that up to the 5km mark where I passed in 22m36. Since I did not really do any training at this pace it was inevitable I had to slow done, but at least up to 7km I did maintain pace. With only 3km to go and also with the uphill of the Avinguda Parallel I slowed down a bit and only picked up pace in the last 500 meters to finish in 46m07s which I am very happy with. I expected to actually struggle go under 50 minutes so being close to 45m felt really good. More races in the coming weeks, enjoying the cold weather.

SkyRace Pic de l'Orri Trail 50K

 After the muddy adventure in Basque Country today it was time for a more high mountain race. During a pre-Xmas run with friends they mentioned this race and after a lot of reconsidering because of some lingering small aches I had decided to give it a try. Soon after I learned that in the week prior to the race I also had to travel for work and all in all preparation was decent but certainly not optimal and I still had some doubts about my right knee though the last training sessions were better. Also my left soleus seemed to have finally recovered probably with the more specific strength training for both the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles - the calf muscles in more generic language. After a long drive I arrived just before sunset in Vilamur, already to late for getting my bib-number so I had to pick that up early the next morning. Since this was a longer race the plan was to start easy and apart from moving articulations I did no running warmup. I had a chat with the friends that gave me the idea to consider this race and then at 7 o'clock we started our run. Bad weather was expected in the second half of the race and they made the course slightly shorter to avoid having people being exposed to lightning in the high mountains. They also told us to be prepared for the cold at the highest point of the race. With the windchill factor it might be less than zero degrees and cold is in general not a problem, but wind is.

away we go

After a short run through the small village we started a steep and technical descent into the valley de "La Siarb". Since I started way in the back of the group I found myself a bit trapped behind very slow runners and on the single trail down it was hard to make a pass without risks. Eventually I managed to do so and settle into a group that advanced at my pace. Just before the first hour passed I arrived at the first aid station, Tornafort, and without stopping started the long downhill to Sort, the biggest town in the area.

aid station Tornafort -

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aid station Sort

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aid station before top

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just before top Pic de l'Orri

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Pic de l'Orri

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snow

aid station refugi

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aid station Coll Cantó

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Before LLagunes

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aid station llagunes

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top last climb

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aid station Puigforniu

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turning the last corner into the street with the finish line 

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arriving at the finish, tired but happy with the result

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After finishing

Finished in 10:09:46

As always many thanks to the organization and all the volunteers!!!

Kolazina trail - 24k

 Finally work and race calendars lined up and I was lucky enough to be able to run a race in Basque Country. The Kolazino Mendi Eguna is organized in a small town near Bilbao called Bedia and I opted for the 24k trail. The week leading up to the race it had been raining a lot and the day before we were sent an email regarding the obligatory material asking us to pack full bad and cold weather gear. Basque country is well known for harsh race conditions and it looked like this time would be no exception. Also this time one of my brothers, David, came over from the Netherlands to spend some days in the area and Saturday morning we woke up early to prepare for driving from Getxo to Bedia. On our way there it started to rain again. We parked the car and in the drizzling rain I made put on my rain jacket and backpack and then we walked to the start area looking for shelter. The race would start at 10 o'clock and we still had about an hour go, so some shelter would be nice.

getting ready 

But first I picked up my bib-number 108 at the local "fronton" . In the goodie-bag there is a nice T-shirt and colour matching running socks.  

picking up my bib-number

Then we go to the only bar in town to have to stay warm and for my brother to have a coffee and more breakfast. About half an hour before the start we said our "see you laters" and after some exploring I went for a short warm up run and the last preparations before having my gear checked and entering the start box.

checking out the start area

the start area in front of XXX church

The nice thing of my brother being at the start is that he has made a small video of the start and also the arrival. Since the start was a slight uphill and also had a right turn right after the start it was very easy for him to film us.

 

At 10am we were shot away, and as always some sprinted away and I settled into an easy jog. It stopped raining and was just a bit cold at that moment. After a loop through village we headed for the forest.

leaving Bedia, very soon we will run on a muddy trail

still clean

And after just over a kilometer we entered a muddy trail right away. With mud everywhere and up to our ankles trying to find the best path was of no use, getting wet and muddy was just unavoidable. I tried to unfold my running poles, to find out that one did not lock in extension. After trying a few times I just gave up and continued with only 1 pole. Not ideal, but without tools I would waste a lot of time trying to fix the other one.

most trails were like this or worse

going downhill slipping and sliding and trying not to fall

On the first section we had our pictures taken very often, which is always nice as a memory. It was slow going. I thought I would be able to do the 24km in about 3 hours, but the first 5k already took over an hour, so unless the long downhill at the end was less muddy it was more likely to take me over 4 hours in total. At some point at an almost flat section crossing a field my right foot slipped sideways and I hit the ground, luckily without any consequences.

the "one pole" hiker

At some point the skies cleared for a short while and had some sunshine. I did not bother to take of my jacket expecting the weather to change again.

one of the rare moments we had some sunshine

And so it did. In our approach to the highest point of the race, the Mandoia (638m) more and more snow was appearing and it started to be foggy and cold again. At the aid station just before the summit I had a quick chat with the volunteers while eating and filling up my water bottle. They we well prepared for the cold with a fire in a drum to stay warm.

the aid station just before the summit of the Mandoia, it is cold here

Before the actual summit it started to snow and at the top with a strong wind blowing conditions were not exactly pleasant. This summit is more or less the midway point and I arrived here just over 2 hours. So indeed I would need more than 4 hours to finish today.

near the summit of Mandoia in the fog with lots of snow

at the top of the Mandoia a strong wind is blowing snow in our faces

At some points the downhills were once again steep and slippery and I went down slowly to try and avoid falls. From time to time runners would pass that were doing the shorter loop and had started later. They moved quite a bit quicker than me, but it was of help to see where they were sliding and be more cautious. With about 5km to go we split up again, since the 24km course has an extra loop with 2 climbs in it. The climb is rather steep but not too muddy and in the downhill Sergio, a colleague of work in Bilbao, passes me. We both had been looking for eachother without seeing, so finally we did and had a chat while slipping and sliding down the hill. He was slightly faster than me and I did not want to force anything. One more uphill were I still more or less followed him, but he slowly dissappeared ahead of me on the last downhill. With everything muddy taking out my phone to tell my brother I was ok but going slow was problematic. So I just continued. The last part was the same as the path we started on, very very muddy and here I fell a second time though in a controlled manner so I got up and continued without issues. Then finally we are back on asphalt and after a few more minutes I finished in 4h31. 

Since I arrived later than expected I have no idea how David spotted me to film the whole arrival. 

I went straight for the hoses to clean my hands and running shoes. Then I chatted a while with my brother and Sergio who had arrived 3 minutes before me. Looking at the skies it was best to quickly go back to the car. On our way there it started to rain and the wind picked up, but all in all very happy with the adventure of today. More running in may. 

after over four hours running through mud this is what you get

with my brother David at the finish

cleaning up a bit

with Sergio who finished just before me