I Maratò de Muntanya de Catalunya - 42km

Today I had another mountain marathon on the menu. A famous one here in Catalunya, since it was the first ever organized and today people ran this race for the 18th time. Start and finish take place in a small village called St. Llorenç Savall, north of Sabadell, and a good part of the race involves the climb and descent of an emblematic mountain called "La Mola".

Overnight the weather had changed a lot, from being warm and rainy to being very cold and extremely windy, at some points near the east coast up to windforce eleven and I guess on top of La Mola at least windforce 6. For the first time this year I put on long sleeves, to protect against the cold. It was still dark when I drove through Sabadell and then onto the B124 a small and winding local road that passes through Castellar del Vallés and Sant Llorenç Savall where the race would start. I arrived nicely on time and walked to the sportscomplex where the Bib numbers were handed out. Among the runners that arrived early, I recognized Francesc Viladoms Coma since we met during the Nuria Queralt Berga Ultratrail just before summer. We talked about the run and other ones in the area, since he is an experienced runner living in the area. Around 7am we had a short briefing and then went outside to the starting area to warm up muscles and get freezing thumbs since it was still very cold when the day was breaking.

At 7h15 we started to run and this time I took it more easy in order to warm up more. The first kilometers went up and down on broad paths through the woods and after some 20 minutes we passed the first control. The water and pieces of fruit were freezing cold!!! We continued and soon ran through a creek for quite a while before starting the first steep climb where we slowed down to walking. At the end of the climb control 2 was set up and I passed there in 38 minutes.

Just before completing the hour I arrived at control 3 after another steep climb. The water and fruit was still very cold. In the short downhill afterwards we had a first glimpse of the top of La Mola.

And in general the area has beautiful sights.

In our approach to the bottom of the path up to La Mola we ran through some fields for a while.

But soon we had to go up again, and really steep from time to time

With flat parts in between, but all paths go up slightly.

The trail was very narrow and winding, though from time to time we could see runners in front or just back if the woods would open up a little.

At some point high enough we can see the Vallés valley and the sea under a crystal clear sky.

And up we went

while the terrain became more and more rocky

Near the top the steep climbs took me to the edge of having cramps on the inside of my thighs but I continued to walk on steadily

Untill I saw the chapel on top of La Mola.

The last part up was more runnable and from time to time we could see the chapel again, coming closer and closer.

After 2h45 I reached the top of La Mola. The wind here was indeed very very strong and I had to find shelter before I called home. After some pictures of the magnificent view I started the long downhill.

The view to the north.

The view to the south.

Another emblematic mountain "Montserrat" to the west.

The first part of the downhill is on the side where the wind had been blowing all night and also where the sunlight had not touched the ground yet and at some points the rocks were covered with an icy layer and we had to be carefull in order to avoid slipping and falling.
Up to checkpoint 8 I was going downhill fine, but then we went into a thick forest, where it was darker than it seems on the next picture. The trail down was steep, narrow and wet and full of loose stones and slippery patches and at some point I actually slipped, but luckily I could break the fall enough and I did not hurt myself.

Once we came out of the woods we had a nice view of the typical rocky formations in this area.

Control 9 was set up at a really nice building Marquet de la Roca. I arrived here around about 3h45, rather tired.

The landscape and the paths changed into a much more open terrain with red clay roads. After a while we started the next climb and the path changed into a trail again winding through bushes and crossing rocky patches.

At some point we could see control 10 and also tiny coloured dots of runners upfront going up the hill in the background. In spite of the sun it was still rather cold here and the people at the checkpoint were dressed for winter and if possible hiding from the strong wind. After a short call home I left here around 4h26. One more control left before the finish.

The next part involved steep climbs and downhills on a very narrow trail through waist high bushes. In spite of being tired I enjoyed the landscape a lot. At some points we have to jump down a meter but I had enough strength left to manage.

After checkpoint 11 we still went up and down and we continued on trails right upto the edge of Sant Llorenç Savall. The last meters the runners were cheered on and applauded and soon I crossed the finish line. Happy, but sore and tired.

My final time was 5h33m34s. With the arrival at La Mola around 2h45 the second half somewhat shorter and more downhill took me 2h48m. I guess that for such a real mountain marathon more specialized mountain training is necessary in order to perform well! Thanks to the organization and the volunteers for making this race possible and withstand the wind and cold.

CorreBarri BCN 2012 - 10k

Life is full of surprises!!! Today I took home a trophy for being the fastest runner of the neighbourhood Gracia of Barcelona in a run called CorreBarri.

After the mountain marathon of last week I took two days of complete rest and then had good tempo run in the rain last thursday, which was maybe very short before the race, but I felt like doing so and enjoyed being out in the rain on the Carretera de les Aigües and go for it. Since last sunday my right achilles tendon needed frequent icing, eventhough I could run normally without pain, but still I was in doubt whether it could withstand a full 10k at racing speed. After a few rainy days today it was more or less sunny and the run started right next to the beach at Barceloneta, so the warm up was fantastic!

Just before 9h30 I went to the start area to find out that this time they separated the runners in startboxes and I could start in box 1 with very few runners, which was great, since there would be a lot less chaos in the first meters. The start was a funny one, counting down irregularly from 10 to GO! waiting for the music that played to reach a point of climax and a lot of beat afterwards.

 

The first meters where indeed quite ok, and soon we stretched out and had plenty of room to run. With the front runners still well in sight I passed the first kilometer in 3m40. A much better pace than the last race, not too quick not too slow.

 

 I maintained the same pace onto kilometer 2 passing in 7m15 and slowed down slightly in the 3rd kilometer passing in 11m02, partly because this part of the race has more turns. The fourth kilometer is more or less straight again and I passed that in 14m54. The fifth was also straight eventhough I expected the 5k timepoint a bit earlier. During this stretch I passed the only "Gracia" runner I had in front from the start and unless there was a runner without his CorreBarri T-shirt on I seemed to be the first. After a quick left turn and right turn I reached the half way point in 18m48 and was starting to feel a bit more tired, but much better than the last 10k a few weeks ago. The 6k marker is in the middle of Parc Ciutadella, a very irregular dirt path made running a bit uncomfortable and I passed in 22m44 here. Somewhere passing through the park one of the spectators shouts out "Look! The first runner from Gracia!", which was encouraging and surprising too. Going out of the park I braced myself and picked up pace again to stay below 4 minutes per kilometer. I passed kilometer 7 in 26m40 and right after there was a short climb up, but the tiredness of kilometers 6 and 7 was fading and the long straight leading to kilometer eight I felt comfortable and passed in 30m36. Running below 38 minutes was out of reach still, but recovering from the mountain marathon I was really happy about how I felt the last kilometers and pushed on to pass kilometer 9 in 34m30 and then we turned upon to the beach boulevard again and after a sharp turn right I saw the red arch of the finish line and pushed out a reasonable sprint. Just before the finish line, still much to my surprise, the speaker congratulates me for being the first runner of the Barcelona neighbourhood called Gracia. I finish in 38m17 which was beginning to be a good time. All in all a very regular run today with a surprise ending taking home a little cup and two more bags of goodies. Thanks to the organization of CorreBarri BCN! For many runners, including me,  it was great fun to be in the spotlights even with "slower" times than the winners. Congratulations to all and see you next year!

The best home-coming ever :)...

Marató de Collserola - 42k

After running the half marathon of Collserola last year, this year I wanted to try the full marathon that winds through "my" training area. To avoid the heat the start was at 8 o'clock, so I got up early to prepare and take the subway for a few stations to the starting point, the Velodrome of Barcelona.
It turned out that Andrés also ran today so we chatted a while before I started my warm up. Just before the start we held a minute of silence in memory of Teresa Farriol a trail runner who passed away recently in another race, Cavalls del Vent.

There was a little confusion about the start signal but when it seemed that we actually could start I immediately joined the front runners since after some 500 meters of concrete road we would enter a narrow trail and I wanted to avoid the crowd there. The first climb has parts of almost flat trail and rather steep climbs and after some 10 minutes I arrived at the top to start the long downhill that took us with some short climbs in between to the first Checkpoint where I passed in 34 minutes. Onto the second checkpoint we ran mostly on wide paths that go up and down a bit and we pass a famous pine tree, el Pi de Can Xandri, just outside St. Cugat.

I arrived at the second Checkpoint in 1h03 and continued running rather fast wherever I could. After a first climb the trail became narrow and winds along through the hills with great views untill we arrived at la Floresta.

We enter the village with a really steep climb where I walked for the first time and afterwards we ran along the edge of the village on a concrete road. I arrived at the third Checkpoint in 1h30. After crossing high above the highway that cuts through Collserola we enter the forest again and after a downhill start the long and from time to time steep climb along a path to Can Balasch and onto Can Pascual two well know farmhouses that are used as waypoints. After a last climb I arrived at the fourth Checkpoint in exactly two hours, still feeling very good, but knowing that the hardest part was still to come. I phoned home to tell my wife I was well on schedule and than started with one of the nicest parts, a narrow channel downhill, which is rather technical.

After that we entered the surroundings of the next village, Vallvidrera, where we continued the downhill before passing the fifth Checkpoint in 2h22. The next part is a going back and forth in the area just below the huge Antenna on top of the Tibidabo ridge and the trails are very steep both up and down here, so I had to walk more often, also because I was starting to become tired, though still feeling ok in general. After passing a surprise Checkpoint I arrived at Checkpoint six in 2h58 and after passing the Can Ribes Viaduct ...

... I started the long downhill slowing down more and more crossing to another part of Collserola passing by a well-known  hermitage, Sant Medir, and then started the last long climb. More or less half-way I passed the second surprise checkpoint and continued onto the last Checkpoint where I passed around 3h50. I completed the climb all running at a slow but steady pace and only a steep climb just after Checkpoint seven I walked up. From then on we ran under the full sun and it started to become rather warm. The path is more or less flat and I ran slowly but steadily untill I started the last downhill, where some 4 hours before I climbed up. Just before the finish line I saw my family sitting in the shadow ready to shoot picture with 3 cameras this time. I finished in 4h25m50s, rather tired, but ok and happy with how the race went in general.

 

 

Cursa de la Mercè

So here we are, back again, one week later. Today started cloudy and not as warm as last week eventhough there was a rather high humidity. This time I slept well and had an easy morning preparing for the race. Everything went very smooth and just before entering my "box" I met Andrés and his wife Silvia - somehow we always run into eachother if we run the same race - and we wished eachother good luck. With 16.000 runners the start was very crowded and when we were shot away at 9h30 the first meters we had to take care to not fall. One runner unfortunately did so, I hope he is ok!

After the first turn onto Parallel we have lots of space and when we arrive at the next turn the pack
already has stretched out. The first kilometer passed way too fast in 3m34 and the second was still going at the same pace 7m08. But I was feeling ok so when turning onto the long stretch we would run on Gran Via I really settled for a good pace and hold this pace untill the 5k mark which I passed in 18:37, very fast considering the race of last week, eventhough it was good to feel I could run at this pace for at least 5k again. From then on I had to slow down. I still don't have enough stamina to push the second 5k. I manage to run around 4m per kilometer. Just before the finish line I hear my family cheering me on and wave. With a second 5k split in 20m40 I finish in 39m17, much better than last week, but still a lot of training to do to go for 37 minutes!

Cursa del Poble Nou - 10k

After running through many different landscapes the last two months we are back to the streets of Barcelona. After a bit more than one week of more serious training a first 10k to kicks things of with and try and see how much speed I lost in the holidays. The pre-race was far from ideal, coming home very late and waking up very early after a busy day yesterday, but around 8h45 I started my warmup. It was very warm, so soon I was sweating quite a lot without really putting any effort in yet. After a really last minute visit to the toilet I found myself a place in the front pack and at 9h30 we start our run. The first hundred meters were a bit restless, with some people crossing in front and some pushing but from than on we had space to run comfortably. I did not see the first and second kilometer mark so to my surprise I passed the 3k marker in 12m00! I seemed to be running at much slower pace than I thought! The next kilometers went by somewhat faster in between 3m50 and 3m55, but after the halfway mark I felt that I would have a struggle to finish inside the 40 minutes today. It was very warm and I really had to focus to keep a reasonable pace. After kilometer 6 we run in the shadow for more than a kilometer and I feel some better. The last 3k the course has a lot of turns which does not help to keep pace. I pass the 9k marker with more than 4 minutes left to stay below 40 minutes. I try to run faster but I feel my hamstrings complain and preferred to not risk any injuries since next week I wanted to run another 10k. After all I finished in 39m57 and after measuring the course on the internet it seemed to be longer than 10k, but anyway, there is a lot of training to be done if I want to break the 37 minutes barrier this season!

Portnoo area - Ireland

When we arrived in Portnoo I knew I had to run here, even it was only for a short run. So on a lucky sunday morning I woke up really early at the same hour the sun was just starting to break the dark of the night and I could barely see the roads I had to run on. It was very cold still so I set of at good pace to become warm. After an uphill and a downhill I came along a part where the sea crushes loudly on the rocks far away while the low tide marks the landscape.

Shortly after on the left of the road a lake could be seen - this area has water in all forms and sizes - and here many birds are welcoming a new morning.

After about half an hour I enter a small village of scattered houses called Rosbeg and I drink some water from the bottle I carried with me and continue through the still very cold morning.
With every turn of the road the views change, from winding roads with bushes and small rock formations...

... to moorish fields with farm houses surrounded by trees...

... and lakes so quiet they perfectly mirror the landscape behind through the misty haze that hangs above the water...

... and sheep grazing the fields everywhere...

At some point near Kilclooney Beg the sun finally makes his appearance too and I slowly head back for Portnoo.

The sunlight is still red when I arrived at the beach painting red the clouds on the other side of the bay above Portnoo

and while still hiding behind some clouds created a beautiful play of light.

Soon a small dog came up to me and seemed to like jogging along. I first ran on the dry part with my running shoes still on , since I was not sure what the end of the beach would be like.

and it was good I did so, since on turning right at the end of the beach the sand changes into rocks covered with algea and waterplants that the low tide left uncovered. Along the edge there was a narrow path and soon the rocks change into dunes with waist high grass that is still wet with dewdrops.

After the dunes I enter a green of the local golf course and decide to turn back here. The sun was out and I wanted to see if I could wade to the island in the bay in front of Portnoo.

Knowing I probably would have to walk through the water anyway, after the rocky part I took off my shoes to run barefoot and with my dog companion still running with me we enjoy the cold sea water while the sun is starting to warm up the morning.
I wade to the island and back shortly afterwards, knowing the tide is coming in and not wanting to swim back.

When leaving the beach the dog wanders off and I put my running shoes on again to enjoy the last minutes of this great scenery. For those interested you can find a map of this run here.

Rondje Hobrede

During the summer holidays I stayed in Purmerend where my running career started and ran one of the back then longer training rounds. I took my camera with me to put up some pictures of the absolutely flat countryside I used to train in. For local runners I have included the route as well. The first kilometer is just getting out of town and soon we leave town through a small tunnel underneath the highway.

Coming out of the tunnel the small village Kwadijk provides a nice picture with its remarkable water-tower that is a landmark that can be seen from very far away.

The village is a typical stretched out line of many houses along the main street. Going right and at the local bar to the left I enter the countryside behind the village enjoying the strong wind that blows today.

At some moment a farmer on his tractor greets me and while he enters a field I continue the way to the next village Hobrede.

 

I remember this used to be very far away eventhough it is only some 5k up to here. I run through the quiet village and leave by the bridge that crosses the "Beemster ringvaart" a canal that surrounds on of the polders here and a great place to go iceskating in wintertime. 

After while I come back to the other end of Kwadijk and once again cross the canal and continue on the other side of it to have a last glance at the water-tower.

Back in Purmerend I enter the town over "the little bridge" as we used to called it.

Great run with great memories!