I was supposed to do this run on October 14, so let me first introduce my original intention.
My grandma, one of the most important and most inspiring figures in my life, passed away on October 14 of 2018. Exactly 2 weeks after I arrived in Austria to (maybe) start a new life here, on the same day I finished running 42.2 km (Marathon) in Graz. So in every aspect, from the moment I woke up that day, until the last song that I listened while trying to sleep, October 14 of 2018 will be one of the unforgettable days for me.
In her last months she suffered a lot. And I got to witness two weeks of it while I was in my hometown. Seeing the same strong person that was like a pillar for the whole family in this situation was so painful, and thinking about it still brings tears to my eyes today.
So in summer of 2020, I started to think about doing something special for her on her day of passing away. I wanted to spend my day alone outside, thinking about my grandma. Just sitting around and doing nothing, or going to work would not suffice. I had to move, I had to go higher.
I checked the day on the calendar. It was not a weekend. So I had to take the day off. I also planned a route. This route could not just be something that I do all the time. So I decided to connect the mountains between Bruck an der Mur and Leoben.
While thinking and planning secretly for this run, days passed and during a night run in September, I twisted my ankle and had to stop running for three weeks. So being in the shape to finish a 50k run 2 weeks after coming from an injury was impossible for me. I had to postpone it. I had to gain my fitness back again, and also I had to wait for the winter to be over.
So exactly after 7 months, I had the chance of realizing my plan.
May 2: Rehearsal of the first half (Leoben - Trasattel - Eisenpass - Hochanger - Bruck an der Mur)
I took only one Clif bar with myself and around 1 lt of water. A lot of wind during the second ascent of the route to the Hochanger. I felt cold and had to wear my rainproof jacket.
Water sources in the first half: around km 7, Hochanger (restaurant), around km 21 where the city Bruck starts.
Note about the route: the descent after Hochanger from the route "Herrensteig" not the best idea for a long run. Because there are too much roots on the trail, not even, and needs a lot of effort and focus not to tip and fall. A slight modification might be necessary.
May 8: Rehearsal of the second half (Bruck an der Mur - Madereck - Kotzalm - Kletschachkogel - Himbergereck - Leoben)
One Clif bar and one protein bar (chocolate), and more than 1 lt of water. Because of the hot weather I finished all my water, and I drank more on the way. I didn't need any extra warm clothing.
The only place to have some water was at the top of the Madereck, which was only after around 6 km. After that it is hard to find any water.
Because of the water problem, and also since the "second half" has more elevation gain and during that day seemed harder to me, I decided to run the route in clockwise direction on May 14.
May 13: Preparations for tomorrow
Since one week I have reduced the amount of coffee that I drink. I know that having too much coffee reduces my sleep quality. And it also affects my whole day. I knew how important will be to have a good sleep and be able to wake up early tomorrow. If the weather was going to be hot then I had to start the run around 5 am. Also I increased my carbohydrate intake in the last days.
Luckily tomorrow the weather will not be sunny. Based on the last update (Thursday, 13 May) before noon it is going to be cloudy, with some sun, and afternoon might rain. This looks to be the best possible weather for me.
I have bought many Clif bars, and other chocolate bars, and also salty peanuts and chips. I know how much I will crave for salty food during the run. However, I don't want to take too much food with me, as I want to go to Lidl (or Billa) in Bruck to buy some extra things for the second half. Regarding the water amount, I will take around 1.5 lt for the first half, and I will start drinking early, and frequently. I will also drink water whenever I see a source. Then in the start of the second half I will do a refill. This should carry me around 17 km (in the worst case) until I reach the water source on the Gössgraben way. There will be my last water station. Before arriving back in Leoben.
I will take my poles. As the run has a considerably high elevation gain (around 2500 m), they might come handy.
Regarding my feelings: Although I had several races with distances longer than this, but this one is the first run that I am going to do completely by myself. So I actually do not know what I will encounter. When I think about the route and the elevation gain it makes me freak out a bit. In order to calm myself down I need to change my approach towards tomorrow's run. I need to take it slowly, and focus on finishing it with enough power and good feelings only. Running fast is not important. I should remember why I am doing this. My goal is not to come back to Leoben as soon as possible. I just want to have a special experience, while remembering one of the most important people of my life.
Crosses that I will encounter during the run: Himbergereck, Kletschachkogel, Madereck, Hochanger.
For dinner I had a lot of pasta with gnocchi, and during the day I ate complex carbohydrates.
May 14: The day of the run
I woke up at 6 am. For breakfast I had caramel cream with bread, with some cheese, and a big cup of espresso. I already prepared my equipment the previous night.
I started running at 6:57 am. The weather was warmer than I expected, so after 3 km I took off my jacket (and never wore it again). From the beginning everything was feeling good. I was calm. I liked how I was moving. After the uphill became more steep I set up my poles. I realised that I was very comfortable during steep sections. I don't know if it was because I was becoming more and more efficient with my poles, or I was just well rested (or both). The climb until Kletschachkogel (1457 m, around km 12 of the run) felt extremely easy. I was also taking it easy, and did not rush. The rest of the route until Bruck was very comfortable too. I was really enjoying everything. My strides were completely synchronised with my poles, and I didn't know how the time was passing.
At the start of the climb to Hochanger I stopped for some minutes to shake my legs, change my shirt, and most importantly refill my water bladder. The climb (Herrensteig) to Hochanger was steep. I was slow in this period, but I was not feeling bad. I was just taking my time. When I reached Hochanger I went to take some photos from the cross, and to eat something. From that point I could see the top of Kletschachkogel. It felt amazing how far away it looked. Then I continued to the 5 km of downhill section until the last uphill part, which had around 300 m of elevation gain. At the end of this small final climb I reached the saddle on which there is another way to Mugel. And from there it is only 12 km of downhill until my home. Yesterday I was visualising myself completely exhausted when I reached this saddle, but actually I was feeling very good there.
The weather during the whole run was almost ideal. In the first half it was cloudy, but no wind and no annoying cold. And when I arrived in Bruck it was partly sunny. Maybe during the second half of the run it could be less sunny, but I was running mostly in the forest or in the valley. So the sun did not bother me much.
In total I ate 1 Clif bar (one half at Kletschachkogel, and the other half at Madereck), and 1 Snickers (at Hochanger), some salty peanuts during Herrensteig climb to Hochanger, and I also took one pack of magnesium powder. I was very careful to drink enough water. I drank around 3.5 lt of water during the whole run. And compared to the duration of the run, I ate less, but it didn't bother me. I never felt hunger. So this was also a good experiment for me. Basically as long as I have enough water, everything is ok. I should also mention that I never had cramps, or even something similar.
May 23: Thoughts after one week
The whole week after doing the run I felt so relieved. This run was like a weight that I was carrying for months. And I did not mention it to anyone until beginning of May.
The days after the run I felt physically and mentally very good. I tried to take the whole week easy, and today I think I managed it fine.
