In the quest for athletic achievement intensive training & proper recovery are paramount. The ultimate goal being maximum fitness without tipping the ever sensitive balance towards overtraining or injury. There will be a time when that happens, those who rebound the quickest and learn from mistakes made will ultimately attain the largest gains in the end. 2014 was one of those years for me. I pushed myself over the edge and lost all balance in my training and racing too many times. As frustrating as it was, I believe I learned a lot and hope to be better prepared for the season ahead. A season filled with 7 ultras and possibly some road racing. With the first ultra complete, its time to get fit.
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Fitness is such a subjective topic and to most it is routinely correlated with physical appearance and active lifestyles. People just assume that those who move a lot are “fit”, especially those running long distances through the mountains. Standing on the line of my second Transvulcania 73k, a world sky ultra on the small Spanish island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, I looked around and saw what appeared to be a lot of fit people. A couple thousands fit people to be exact. Each of us putting in countless hours of training and all of us testing our level of fitness against a previous version of ourselves.
A year ago I made the mistake of thinking I was race fit, a level of fitness one attains after months if not years of consistent high quality, high intensity training. My goals for the race we well within my capabilities but my ability to execute the race plan was not. I ran too fast too early, underestimating the race and as a result finished short of my goals, in 33rd. This year with less fitness and much different goals, I was able to improve on that 33rd from a year ago and finish in 17th. Still not something to write home about, but in terms of my racing ability, fitness level, and goals for the 2015 season, it was in my opinion a step in the right direction.
A year ago I made the mistake of thinking I was race fit, a level of fitness one attains after months if not years of consistent high quality, high intensity training. My goals for the race we well within my capabilities but my ability to execute the race plan was not. I ran too fast too early, underestimating the race and as a result finished short of my goals, in 33rd. This year with less fitness and much different goals, I was able to improve on that 33rd from a year ago and finish in 17th. Still not something to write home about, but in terms of my racing ability, fitness level, and goals for the 2015 season, it was in my opinion a step in the right direction.
Sharing words of encouragement with Gustavo Reyes 30k in.
In an attempt to level out the inconsistency in my racing performances I began racing with a heart rate monitor last fall. The first true test and what ultimately validated my strategy was the Run Rabbit Run 100 last fall where I finished 2nd to UROY Rob Krar with relatively little fitness. I attempted to follow that up with a smart race at the TNF 50 a few months later but the desire to compete overpowered my self control and for the 3rd time 2014, I “blew up”. This year I have set out to correct those mistakes.
The race started out as expected, like the running of the bulls elbows in a relatively controlled chaos. Within the first couple miles the excitement of the start died down and we were able to settle into our paces. Watching my HR closely I was about 7 bp higher than I wanted. With the first aid station at Los Canarios quickly approaching I knew we would settle in even after passing through there. Through the early miles I found myself running with Timmy Parr and commenting on the experience of racing in Europe and the beauty of the island. For about 2 hrs we ran together on and off until the descent to El Pilar.
The race started out as expected, like the running of the bulls elbows in a relatively controlled chaos. Within the first couple miles the excitement of the start died down and we were able to settle into our paces. Watching my HR closely I was about 7 bp higher than I wanted. With the first aid station at Los Canarios quickly approaching I knew we would settle in even after passing through there. Through the early miles I found myself running with Timmy Parr and commenting on the experience of racing in Europe and the beauty of the island. For about 2 hrs we ran together on and off until the descent to El Pilar.
Checking out the Paul Hamilton's damaged feet while cooling off after the race.
A year ago, the stretch from El Pilar to El Recenton was where I realized I was doomed. This time around I made sure to give special attention to how my body was feeling and what my HR was telling me. I remained overly conservative knowing what was to come. Hills, heat, and the real race were just around the corner and this time I felt ready and prepared.
The carnage usually begins on the climb past El Reventon and with the aid station at Pico de la Nieve being removed this year there was going to be a lot of it. I had made sure to hydrate religiously early on, still found myself without water for a few miles and quickly dehydrating. Luckily this did not effect my race, as I began catching those who took the early miles out too fast. This continued through Roque de los Muchachos, the high point of the race, and the final aid station before the long 8,000' descent towards to the ocean. As I had planned, I ran conservatively until then and was ready to start racing.
It's a great feeling running a well executed race. In the final descent I caught and passed 12 other runners and would push on to catch 3 more on the final 7k climb up to the finish in Los Llanos. My split from Roque to Tazacorte was on par with what some of the guys in the top 5 were running. With my fitness not yet being where I want it to be, it's a much needed boost of motivation going into the rest of the season. Fitness is a fickle thing and right now I feel it's within reach. My next test will come in just a couple weeks at the Quest for the Crest 50k in North Carolina on May 31st. Happy training until then!
The carnage usually begins on the climb past El Reventon and with the aid station at Pico de la Nieve being removed this year there was going to be a lot of it. I had made sure to hydrate religiously early on, still found myself without water for a few miles and quickly dehydrating. Luckily this did not effect my race, as I began catching those who took the early miles out too fast. This continued through Roque de los Muchachos, the high point of the race, and the final aid station before the long 8,000' descent towards to the ocean. As I had planned, I ran conservatively until then and was ready to start racing.
It's a great feeling running a well executed race. In the final descent I caught and passed 12 other runners and would push on to catch 3 more on the final 7k climb up to the finish in Los Llanos. My split from Roque to Tazacorte was on par with what some of the guys in the top 5 were running. With my fitness not yet being where I want it to be, it's a much needed boost of motivation going into the rest of the season. Fitness is a fickle thing and right now I feel it's within reach. My next test will come in just a couple weeks at the Quest for the Crest 50k in North Carolina on May 31st. Happy training until then!
Aid stations splits & placement throughout the race.
When you're building your fitness, how do you measure progress or know when you are truly race ready?
- Results -
- Race Photos -
- Recap: irunfar.com -
- Recap: iancorless.org -
- My Garmin Data -
- Results -
- Race Photos -
- Recap: irunfar.com -
- Recap: iancorless.org -
- My Garmin Data -
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