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| View from the first summit of the day! |
Despite the Covid restrictions being turned up a notch just a few days prior, the Ultra Montseny 2021 went ahead as planned on Saturday, 10 April.
I even turned up and took part! I wasn’t sure I could with the new Covid restrictions, but I went anyway and am glad I did.
My longest ultra so far
- just under 78 km with over 4700 m elevation gain
- in 13 hours 40 minutes.
That’s a lot longer and harder than I’d done previously (66 km, 2500 m+ and 7 hr 30 m), nearly twice the time and elevation gain.
The course was pretty tricky, too, with lots of craggy rocky sections and sharp climbs and descents
But I got through it pretty much in shape all the way to the end: no cramps, blisters or niggles; refueling well all the way; still with energy and spirit to keep moving forward.
My pace slowed more than it might have towards the end, but this probably only added 20 or 30 minutes to my total time.
Why did my pace slow?
Don’t know. I was tired on the climbs, but I had no muscular problems and wasn’t going that much slower than earlier on.
Where I was really struggling was going downhill. But I don’t know if it was my feet or muscle or mental fatigue (couldn’t work out where to put my foot!).
On the right track with training
All the elevation gain, hiking, and muscle endurance and strength work I’ve been doing following the Big Vert plan from Uphill Athlete for the last four months seems to have worked, despite the teething problems and niggles I had changing over to this kind of training.
Even though I didn’t do all the volume and strength work (hill sprints and Z3 training) I wanted because my body couldn’t handle it, I had no muscular problems at all during the race.
With this experience under my belt, the next time through the Big Vert plan, I’m sure I’ll be able to do more of it and get more out of it.
Altra King MT 2.0s were great!
- no blisters
- good traction in the tricky conditions (rocks and roots, sometimes wet and muddy
- great drainage: after stepping in a stream and soaking my foot, the water was gone in a flash
Although I have one doubt with these shoes over this distance and time.
What if the slowing of my pace over the last 10 km or so had to do with these shoes having less cushioning than is typically recommended for ultras? (Apparently the King MTs aren’t designed for long events.)
It’s hard to tell because I’m not sure why I slowed towards the end. It might have just been general or muscle fatigue.
It would be a shame if the shoes were at fault — they have become my go-to shoes on the trails of late, even more so than the Altra Superior 4.5s, which I’ve found don’t fit my foot as well as the King MTs do or the Superior 4.0s did.
Anyway, this was a long and technical course (lots of rocks under foot for so much of it). So even if it were the shoes, I could probably do most other races in them without a problem.
Trekking poles work! (At least on a technical course like this one)
Even though I haven’t had much experience with them, the poles helped a lot. I’m sure they’re partly the cause of me not having any muscular issues. I also like they way they let you use your upper body far more — trail running becomes a whole body sport!
My descending could be improved
I took it easy all day going downhill to save my legs, letting people go by on the descents and mostly catching them up on the climbs.
This approach appeared to work as I had no muscle problems at all. But I don’t feel I could have gone much faster downhill anyway. I felt plain clumsy sometimes. This might have been because of fatigue, but I think I could do better going downhill. It’s also something I’ve ignored of late.
So perhaps I’ll start running some downhill stretches with intent each week.
In events like this, I will always be cautious descending to save my legs, but if up my ability, I might be able to make my safe pace a little faster.
Fantastic organisation of the event!
It went like clockwork, even with all the changes imposed by the pandemic.
The volunteers were friendly and helpful, despite being out there by almost alone (there was zero public this owing to the new restrictions) for so many hours in the not-so-great conditions for standing around (great for running, though).
The trail markings were good, with clearly placed ribbons that were plentiful where needed.
Magical scenery
Especially deep in the forest on such a grey day! The views weren’t so great, but that’s a reason to come back.
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