Looking for a major event for 2010 and somewhat limited in my ability to cycle here in Moscow where I now live I decided to try something ambitious and signed up for the Marathon des Sables (www.darbaroud.com ) Having got a spot, talked to a few people and reading a few articles, I realized I didn’t have a clue what I was in for and with the race only five months away I needed to get educated real fast. I have a good running base albeit on the flats along the Moscow River and a few small hills in Gorky Park. Thus I needed to do something intense and quick. So after an extensive internet search I ended up signing up for a “camp” in Granada, southern Spain. It was just what the doctor ordered.
Paul Bateson of Axarsport,(www.axarsport.com) a cyclist and veteran of two MDS operates out of a small town called Santa Cruz del Comercio about 50 km from Granada. The area has rolling hills, 3,000m mountains and desert like conditions. Perfect location for this type of training. In addition the area hosts 30 local riding clubs and in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, just outside of Granada is a 50 m pool and outdoor track at the 2400m mark, home of the Spanish high altitude training. Thus one can summarize this area has to be more than adequate for any kind of training.
The camp was 5 days in length which included a down day. I didn’t think I needed at it first but it became evident that it was a necessity. In addition to the actual training Paul was a wealth of knowledge on this type of stage running including equipment choices, strategy (mine is simply to finish) and racing nutrition.
I arrived in a Saturday in early afternoon and headed back to the camp for the first run. It was a short but intense 12k. This was a rather challenging run up the side of one valley, back down up the other side and back into camp. Joining us was local Ironlady/duathlete, Penny who placed second in her age group at IMC this year. A hard run with two strong runners I was feeling good.
Day 2 saw us out for a 21k trail run at a local reservoir (see pic #1). It was my first try at running with a pack. Paul had a collection of equipment and My first try with an Raidlight Evolution . The first 3 km was scenic and challenging descending down a dry creek bed. Once out of this we were 18k on an undulating trail. Again I went out hard and it felt great. I thought this was going to be a piece of cake.
Day 3 was a quasi-rest day but I thought I would run anyway. Not a chance. I woke up and my quads were killing me. Going down stairs and small hills it felt like the day after a marathon. All the training on the flats had caught up to me. Ouch!
Day 4 was the big day. 35 + km on a mountain trail. My legs were still sore. The first 12km we saw a gain of over 600m at 5% grade. Notwithstanding the best footing up a washed out road. The view from the top was great and you could see the beginning of the Straights of Gibraltar. After that was a 18km descent and my legs were still in agony from two days before. At the bottom we had to ascend for almost another 5km. This day I carried another Raidlight pack, an OLMO 20, which I preferred over the previous one.
The last day was to be a 20k run which I anticipated was going to be a disaster given the previous days run and the condition of my legs. However I was surprised to find my legs feeling great. The run started in the valley covering the first 6k of flats, then a 10k climb of about 300m through the olive orchards loosing this elevation in 3k as we descended into Santa Cruz followed by a 2k flat sprint back to the camp. Actually the camp was a pleasant Spanish “house” with great home cooked meals by Paul’s associate Barbara which always included a bottle of good local wine. From my perspective the 5 days was a great success and I achieved what I set out to.
From a training perspective it reminded me not to go out hard at the beginning even if you feel good, a rookie mistake but one that can easily be dealt with in training. Paul provided a wealth of information on training, equipment and MDS race strategy which given my knowledge before this on this type of racing will is invaluable. On a side note, Paul puts on a 5 stage, 230k race here in July, Al Andalus Ultra Trail 2010. If you are looking for a real challenge you may wish to consider it. (www.alandalus-ut.com )
