Ultra Pirineu 2021

 After a busy week I have finally time to share my story of the Ultra Pirineu 2021 with you. As said in previous posts, the preparation for this 100k - 6600D+ race was far from perfect and though I had no pain or serious doubts about my right achilles tendon, I was in it for just running through the mountains for as long as I could without compromising the tendon.

After a short night sleeping at the Bagà Balsareny Campsite I woke up just before 4am, ate some breakfast, and got ready for the 15 minute walk to the start area. I arrived nice and early eventhough there were quite a few runners there already and soon the small square in the center of Bagà, la Plaça Porxada, was full, music was started and at 5h30 am we were shot away. In spite of being in the second starter group we started moving quickly and after some minutes of walking through the narrow main street we entered a bigger square and after a wider street where we could easily run. Ofcourse my goal was to go easy without having too many runners pass me either, since I suspected that at some point some narrow path would create a traffic jam. For at least 30 minutes though we moved with a lot of room and alternated running and walking fast depending on the slope. At some point indeed we made a left turn onto a narrow path and also steep up on a very rocky section and here the whole pack slowed down considerably, but passing was impossible, so it was just a matter of following the run in front of you. It was still pitch dark, though the many headtorches made finding your way easy. The path passes a road twice and in spite of the early hour there is people cheering the runners on and somewhat sooner than expected I arrived at the first aid station, Refugi de Rebost, 10k and 1100 D+ done. The stop here ofcourse was minimal and just after there was a pretty steep section. By now we had spread out more and each runner could move at his own pace. Also at times we can see the horizon now where the black is turning into shades of dark blue. After the steep section the path still goes up but we can walk at a very good pace and enjoy the early morning and the sun slowly coming out just in front of us. About 2km before reaching the highest point of the race all of a sudden we are much more exposed and the temperature drops quickly with the combination of an at times strong breeze and the cold at altitude. We no longer need our headlamps and after not too long we can see the next aid station Niu d'Aguila in the distance. 

Refugi Niu d'Aliga - 2520m

When I get there I eat and drink and fill up my bottles, but decide not to stay long because of the cold. Standing still is you cool down very quickly and also we would go downhill and be once again protected against the wind. 3 hours and 20 minutes have passed since the start and in the downhill I start to have my first low energy moment. This is quite normal for me, around 3 and 8 hours into a race that happens to me, so I just bear with it and run downhill as fast as I can. I expected this part to be harder, but also the next section that goes through a rather dense forest to be more runnable, for me at least, but it is too irregular and inclined most of the times in order for me to run. I guess this is also because of lack of training, I clearly feel I don't have the same strength, but I do enjoy the experience. Slowly we are approaching a intermediate summit, Penyes Altes de Moixeró, both the uphill before and the downhill after are very rocky and technical, and as such also very slow. At one point we even rappel down a big rocky section. After quite some time of jumping rocks we enter a first mountain meadow and we can run again, but here I start to feel tired already. After another forest section a long meadow section follows and I try to run as much as I can, but also feel I am not advancing very fast. After the meadow we turn onto a wide path until we take a right turn and go steep down into the forest again for some 2km. We end up on a winding path through the low part of a valley and at the end cross a small creek and climb up a few hundred meters to where the third aid station is, Refugi el Serrat de les Esposes. I arrive here on schedule, though it felt like having lost a lot of time. 

It is mid day now, and I take somewhat more time to eat and drink. I also take off my second layer since it is quite sunny and the next uphill is right in front of us and looking very hot. The next section should be easy apart from the first steep climb, but that very uphill takes a long long time. And after I have not too much energy to run at good pace and what should be a less than 1 hour section turns into 1h30 hours. When I arrive at Refugi Cortals de l'Ingla there is not much that I would like to eat, they offer many things, but just nothing seems to be right for me at that moment, so I decide to concentrate on swallowing down gels over the coming hours to get some energy in. The pace up to hear has been slow and the only good thing is that I am at least in good company with a few other runners that go at about the same pace. After the quick stop a long and steep section follows, up to Coll de Pendis. Arriving at the pass is not the highest point and the next section along a mountain ridge is very nice, but slow. It is around 2 p.m. now and both my feet are painful, my left foot hurts below the bump that is the end of the Tibia and my right foot hurts at my big toe and somewhere in the Tallus area on the right. I am running in rather new shoes and also my feet maybe just aren't much used to running long after all the injuries since last year december. Slowly we reach the highest point of the ridge and the downhill at parts is runnable. We are a group of about 6 now and stay together untill just before the next aid station, Refugi de Prat d'Aguiló. This is the last aid station before meeting up with my family in Gosol. 

The weather in a short period of time has changed from rather sunny to very cloudy and it is freezing cold at the next aid station. The people there urge us to put on clothes and after drinking and eating and preparing for the steepest climb of the race I put my self in motion again. The first steps are the hardest and with the strong wind blowing here it is rather cold. After some minutes I start to feel much better and decide to not take out my gloves and other even more warm clothing. The first half of the climb I go alone. Tired, but knowing that I will arrive much later than planned in Gosol I try to keep good pace up. The energy low is not as strong anymore and actually this steep part is very entertaining to do. The views are also amazing. Near the end I am once again in a group of several runners and soon I arrive at the second highest point of the race around 2400m altitude. After a quick moment of enjoying the views I continue. Most people can run here, but for me that is harder and harder, so I alternate running and walking as much as I can. The first part here is almost flat and after while a very long downhill starts. Here I force my self to run, it is slow, but faster than walking. Meanwhile I enjoy de scenery of this valley behind a very well know mountain in this area, el Pedraforca. After what seem an eternity I arrive at the lower part of the valley, but have no idea how long I need to arrive in Gosol, but keep contact with my family and try to give them hints of my progress. After still quite a while some indications say 2km what at my pace could be 30 minutes still, I try to run as much as possible on a very rocky path that leads downhill through the woods straight to the village of Gosol. I arrive there just before 20h, 2 hours behind schedule and only 1 hour before the time limit. Montse is waiting for me at the edge of the village and together we walk to where her brother and parents are waiting for me as well. I sit down a minute on a bench and we talk a bit. Then I enter the aid station, and after a while inside I decide not to continue. All in all I was very happy already with being able to do what I had done so far, with 60km of high mountains and with the night starting and under time pressure the risk of injury for me was just too high, but still very happy and certainly to be repeated some day, though before I will do shorter races until I feel fully ready for such a long run.

As always many thanks to the organization, the volunteers in all the aid stations and to my family for supporting me up to the race and during the race.

Click here to see a video of moments throughout the race.

Summer 2021

Another year passed and in spite of training a lot there was not many opportunities to race or have spectacular long runs. Both COVID and injuries are reasons for that. Since december last year I have had some injury every one to two months, in the lower back, a pulled muscle in my left calf, some weird pains in the right hip, and then a much more serious injury on the 16th of May, acute retrocalcaneal bursitis and issues with the aquilles tendon insertion on the right. Since I started training with Tecnirunner to learn to run injury free and with all this I accepted that maybe that was not really possible, and so I am back now to train myself. I am still far from healed but at least I can do some decent long runs without pain and with hopes to be able to run the 100k of the Salomon Ultra Pirineus in the beginning of October. Next up impressions of the different hikes and training sesssions I have done recently.

My first serious training to test how the body responds to mountain trails always is the direct ascension of the Tibidabo. This was on the 5th of July, so after almost 2 months of no running. I did 2 test runs in the weeks before and a lote of hometrainer and hiit with weights at home. Though I never really mind my weight it is around 72kg now, and I literally feel "heavy"!

Near where I work in Bilbao there is some really nice mountains to go run to for training. Here the top of the Pagasarri on a rather cold and cloudy day in July.

We spent a few days in Llança on the coast near Figueres. One of my standard training routes there is running to a pass called "la Collada del Peral". The route there is rather technical and at times pretty steep. At the pass this time no beautiful views on one side since it very recently all burnt down.

Another day, continuing the same route I went up to the Sant Pere de Rodes Monastery and the ruins of a castle just above it. The views from here are amazing. The last part is a very technical downhill with lots of loose stones and in general very irregular and the heel is more sensitive after this long run of more than 2 hours. This was on the 3rd of august, so just about one month after starting to run in the mountains again. So in spite of knowing I am working of the limits of what the heel can handle I am happy with my progress.

A few days later we changed scenery and went to the Pyrenees for a week. The first hike was up to Estanys de la Pera, near Lles de Cerdanya.

A second hike was to a a huge grass field on the edge of the steep Cadi mountain ridge.

Another day I went really early with Jordi to do a vertical kilometer from Masella to the top of la Tosa d'Alp. But up and down we were pushing hard and my heel is holding strong now.

Still over a month of training left for the Ultra Pirineus. I really hope to make it to the start, and ofcourse to finish, however long it takes.

Cursa de la Mercè 2020 - 10k

 Time to race again!!! Before all a huge "Thank you" to the organization!!! To make running a 10k possible complying all the COVID measures seems simple when it is rolled out smoothly like this morning, but getting there has taken a lot of thinking and planning. Also thanks to Montse for picking up my bib number two days before, and she also told me that, in spite of never having done that before, the organization was very very clear on all the steps and it was easy for her to do so.

Since it was not "yet another 10k", but the first under these new circumstances I went down to the start area early, actually just in time to see the start of the first group of about 300 runners at 8:00am.

Directly afterwards I started my warmup. The start location for years has been in the Mont Juic area, but this year to maximize space and avoid crowds they moved it to the El Forum area where there is lots of space and very few people on an early Saturday morning. Around 8:30 we were called into the start area grouped by numbers and lined up in rows of six with a 2 meter space between each of us.

At that time most runners of the first group were already finishing or on the last stretch. At 8:45 the first 6 runners started there run and every 5 seconds 6 more runners stepped up to the starting line and started there 2 lap 10k run. I think I was on the 4th or 5th row so very soon it was my turn. I put my facemask away when I already had started running and then quickly settled into a comfortable pace. No pushing around this time and also the course was along very wide roads so at all moments we could maintain distance to other runners. The first 2 k I maybe went too fast in 4m20 and 4m15, but I was going at what felt as an easy pace so I only dropped pace a little bit to around 4m30 and basically could maintain that until the finish line. Just before the 5k mark we passed the start area again, and the speaker called each runner out by name to cheer us on. Upto the 7k mark I was going easy and then slowly started to feel somewhat tired and breathing more heavily. It was very humid this morning so surely that also made it harder to get oxigen in. Also from 7k to 8k the road goes slightly uphill. Soon we pass the 9k mark and I pick up pace just a little bit, though without really sprinting and finish in 44:35 on the athletics track of sport centre Marbella. At the finish line we were handed new face masks and got our hands sprayed with some cleaning lotion. They had set up a water station with volunteers opening the taps for us while we filled our cups with water. Very smooth, everything, so once again, thanks to all to make it happen.

Training in the Pyrenees

 In August and September this summer we visited the Pyrenees a few times and I did several long runs on my own and hikes with the family. This post is not so much a detailed race description but more a general impression of where I have been on those trips.

Aigüestortes

Puigmal

Llacs de Meranges

Ermita de Bell-lloc

Dromedary Race - 35k

Running in COVID-19 times. I started this year with a small tear in my calf muscle of the right leg. Just about when I was able to do some running again in the beginning of March lockdown changed all my training plans and race plans. I guess three factors were very important for me to continue training hard.

First of all having someone who schedules your training plan. For years now, I work with Dani at Tecnirunner, and as all other people, I was amazed at the smoothless and profesional change from training outdoors to training a 100% indoors. 

Second, I was lucky to have equipment at home, lots of different weights, more than I can lift now, and elastic bands, a hanging bar, a static bike, etc, so it was easy to train hard at home as well. 

And third, over the past years, I am contact with a lot of other runners, including other runners that work with Tecnirunner, but also through several groups on Facebook. Sharing information, ideas and maintaining our spirits high was easy. 

So after a short run in Getxo on the 12th of March it was not until the 2nd of May that we could run outdoors again, which I celebrated with running up to the Tibidabo, the highest hill just outside Barcelona. In those first days after the easing of lockdown it was best go running very very early. Since running hours were restricted from 7-10 and 20-23 and many many people were longing to get outside, there was a huge difference between 7 o'clock or 8 o'clock. After getting through the initial training sessions with the expected soreness slowly we pick up pace and distance again. 

When lockdown is finally over Tecnirunner announces they will organize a Virtual Race for all the people that train with them. They have us choose between an urban 10k, a mountain 10k, a mountain 21k or a mountain 35k, each with D+ requirements, but totally free in where you want to run the choosen distance. Beginning of July one specific training had upset my legs quite a bit, so I was not 100% sure I could do the run, but ofcourse I was aiming for the longest distance and soon found a very nice circular route that exactly fit the requirements. So my Dromedary Race on the 2nd of august was run in the Montseny area. The week before I finally started to feel ready for the adventure. It was very warm, hence the "dromedary", so one aspect of this long selfsufficient run was bringing enough water and food for 5 hours. With normal races the route is properly marked but no so this time, so I went over the course time and time again to memorize it as much as I could, still bearing in mind that the real terrain might be very different and I also brought some detailed printouts. Originally the idea was to all start at 8:00 a.m., but because of the heat starting earlier was ok too. I wanted to start at 7 a.m., but it took me somewhat longer to take a starting picture and prepare my backpack, so around 7:20 a.m. I finally push the start button and get underway from a parking lot on the edge of a small town called Aiguafreda. The first part is a long and winding path up that goes up quite steep but is just runnable mostly. I find my way without problems and in less than one hour I reach the top of the Tagamament (1059m). The downhill on the otherside was complete chaos. There was no clear path so I just go down and when I finally reach a bigger path try to find my orientation again, after running a few meters in the wrong direction I understand where I am and turn around and soon I am back on the planned path and picking up pace. The climb to the highest point around 1270m of today is very slow, so I can run at a very decent pace. Eventhough it is still early morning, the sun is out with force already, so it is time to cover my head. This area is called "Pla de la Calma", the plains of peace, and running here is very nice. The path is very easy and wide and there is not many people at this hour. Even near a very well known place that has a small bar, Coll Formic it is not very crowded yet. I reach this point in just over 2 hours. I take of my backpack for a second to change waterbottles and get some food out, and then get underway again, after all the idea is to race today. After some hesitation if I am on the right path and checking my maps I slowly pick up pace when I see that I go in the right direction. Shortly after though the path narrows a lot and I have to walk a lot to avoid being scratched by dense bushes with thorns. After some time the path gets better, but I start to feel more tired now. It is very warm, and my condition was surely not as good as a year ago just before the UTMB. After a short while running on asphalt I take a left turn steep down onto the path back to the starting point. It was still 10k from there and eventhough it was rather flat and at times with shade slowly my pace is dropping and I am really happy to complete the 35k (1060m D+) in 4h21m16s. All in all a great run, and very thankfull to Tecnirunner to organize the event.

In Aïguafreda, just before my start

The top of Tagamanent (1059m)

The Tagamanent looking back from Pla de la Calma

Collformic, more or less half way.

Back in Aïguafreda, happy and tired.

Over the coming days I will edit a short video.

Cursa dels Bombers 2019 - 10k

Today three months ago I finished the UTMB. A good way to celebrate is go out and run a 10k. For about a month now training has been good running a 25k with 1000m D+ in the hills behind Barcelona and the shorter in between runs I could run at better pace. The hard thing was deciding on just that for a 10k, what pace would be good for me at this moment. I knew that going for sub 40 was not possible yet, so I took a bit of a gamble and went for 4m10/k.

When I left home it was raining a bit, but it looked like something that wouldn't last for long. When I arrived at the start area still a few drops where falling but after changing into my running gear and leaving my bag in deposit it stopped raining and the warm up was relaxed. I had plenty of time, but since I wanted to really try my best a good warmup is important. Just before 9am I entered my box, a bit more at the back because for more than a year I did not run a fast 10k and the boxes are decided on your best 10k in the last 12 months. The ambience is great, live music of a well-known catalan band and many many people ready for a run.

The first 3 kilometers were very irregular because people were going slow and it was crowded. At some parts I ran on the side walk and at others I had to continuously change pace and look for ways to advance people in order to maintain pace. The first kilometer was in about 4m15 and the second just below 4m10. Past the 4k mark we soon turn onto Gran Via, a very wide avenue, and here I finally settle for a good pace without having to struggle to maintain it too much, it is still crowded and I still pass runners, but at least there is enough room for that now. I pass the 5k mark in exactly 21 minutes, so I go just above 4m10 pace, but I feel ok. After the 7k mark I start to feel a bit tired and slow down a little, knowing that the approach to the finish would be downhill so there I could pick up pace without effort. I pass the 9k mark at 37m50s, so if I could run a 4m10 over the next kilometer I would finish in 42 minutes. Just after the 9k marker I shout out to Montse and Jordi who were there to cheer me on. When I see the finish line I pick up pace a little bit to try to finish under 42 minutes. Unofficially I think I did manage to do just that, 41m56. Very happy with the regularity of my running and in general with a good feeling.

Cursa de la Mercé - 10k

Exactly one month after starting the UTMB an easy 10k in the city centre of Barcelona. Recovery has been slow but good and I am back to easy training for some weeks already. Ofcourse I had no clue of what pace to run so I decided to try and stay with the 45 minute pacer. Though we started at nine o'clock it was very warm already and apart from that starting with 12000 runners makes for some chaos in the beginning. Up to the kilometer 3 I am somewhat behind the pacer, just because catching up with him through the crowd was not easy. Actually the third kilometer just to not go off pace to much I had to sprint and pass people where I could which ofcourse sent my heart-rate up. The fourth and fifth kilometer I can finally settle and I make it half way just below 22m30s so 45 minutes is still possible. Shortly after we pass through the Arc de Triomf where many runners grab water and slow down a bit, which opens up more space and I am some 100 meters in front of the pacer by then. Kilometer 6 and 7 as always are hard and a matter of holding on and try to stay relaxed. My times are still ok so I know I don't have to sprint in the end to finish under 45 minutes which is great. Happy to be running again without after effects of the UTMB. More 10ks are to follow.

Finished in 44m39s!!