Uphill Diaries: June 2022

May and June. Two months of the year 2022. In these two months I lived and worked in Ljubljana, Slovenia. A very different time in my life. As someone who establishes a strong emotional connection with his city and his neighbourhood, moving (although only for two months) was not easy. I was consoling myself by reading history, thinking about great travellers, people who had to leave their hometown, and reading great literature (e.g., Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, or Dante's Divine Comedy). In the last months before moving I was dealing with some personal problems. I always had this thought in my mind that I'm not living my life in its full potential. I was feeling that I'm missing something, I do not do enough things to have more pleasure in my life, I do not sit in cafes and enjoy life more. The fact that I knew these feelings and anxieties were all made up in my mind was not helping. And when I was thinking about the fact that I will move to Ljubljana, I was getting even more anxious. Now that I write about those times, it is hard to express what exactly I was feeling. But whatever it was, it was not pleasant. Then some changes happened. First crucial change was that I changed my training schedule. I started to do my runs in the morning before going to work (fasted, without breakfast). This modification did so many good things in my daily life... Maybe people who exercise regularly could relate to this. Another change happened when I became more familiar with stoicism. It brought such a relief to my life. Stoic philosophers, those great people... In March this year I saw Marcus Aurelius' original statue in Capitoline Museums in Rome. He is a great influence for me since that time. The philosopher king of the Plato's perfect form of government, aristocracy. His wisdom is still saving people's lives from darkness and despair. Finally, the third change happened in my point of view, when I heard from someone with whom I was speaking about my thoughts. That person told me that "the home is me", wherever I go, I carry my home with me.

Let me not get too much distracted from the purpose of this post. The above-mentioned changes brought some motivation and purpose in my life. I became more active, and the result of being more active for someone like me is that he starts to think about new running projects. So that is how it all started. That is how I decided to register for the Innsbruck Trail Running Festival.

Do you know what do most runners do right after a race? They check the dates of the possible next races. And that is how I decided to do the 50k in the Hochkönigman race. I decided to do that race while I was in the train back to Ljubljana, dealing with painful muscles which went through 60k of running.

Saturday 8:30 - May 7 2022 - Innsbruck Alpine Trail Running Festival 65k

This race was exactly the type of race that I would want to do, as a re-start after almost 2 years of stop (due to coronavirus). For the distance, it has fairly low elevation gain (only 1800 m), and it is not technical. It is a tour around Innsbruck. Three days after considering this race, I did a long run (40k, to Schöckl from home and back). My criteria to register myself to the race was finishing this run in a good shape. If I was going to do this run without any huge problems, then it meant that I was fit enough to run 60k in Innsbruck. The result: yes, I was quite capable.

Having a company on the race weekend is a great motivation. I mentioned this race to my friend, Shadan, and asked if she would like to join me there in Innsbruck. She was kind enough to accept it. She is a very skilled and motivated climber, so on the race day while I was running around Innsbruck she was climbing in one of the most prestigious climbing halls of the world.

I arrived in the afternoon of Friday May 6 in the hotel, and later we went to the event area. I met with Martin and his family there. It was a great feeling to finally get together with so much runners again. The weather during the whole run was perfect: cool and a bit of rain (not annoying at all). We started the race very fast, maybe even a bit too fast. For me it was OK. I didn't care about slowing down. I was feeling very well and stupid. Later, around km 25 I started to have problems in my stomach. I could not keep up with the runners that I was running with. I had to stop three times (the third one in the km 31) to do the number 2. Overall it wasted 10, 15 minutes of my time during the race. I couldn't eat my snickers bars that I had with me. The only thing that I ate were some cheese, crackers and gummies from the aid stations.

Between km 50-55 I had to go through very strong cramps in my muscles. Sometimes I had to stop to let them pass. This was the hardest part of the run for me.

In the last kilometers something incredible happened: I started to feel so good again, that I was feeling like I was flying. I put my music on again. And with the same feeling I finished the run. And at the finish line, as soon as I stopped, all the cramps rushed back to my leg muscles.

I spent relatively long time at the finisher area. Sitting and watching the finishers, having drinks/snacks, contemplating what I just did.

Preparation run: I did a 40k run (from my apartment in Graz to Schöckl, and back) 4 weeks before the race.

Wrong approaches: I didn't study the route. I did not give attention to what I ate and drank during the race week. Psychologically I did not get in the mood of running even on the day before the race. I did not do any visualisation of the route. I did not sleep enough during the race week. My race nutrition was not correct. My equipment were not well prepared.

Accommodation: Marmota Hostel. Very nice and clean place. I would book the same place again.

Food in the night before the race: Tiroler Gröstl (never again).

Food and drink during the race: I took 4 Snickers with me but could eat only one. At the aid stations: a lot of Haribo gummies, cheese, cakes, water, isotonic drinks.

Gear: I had my La Sportiva Bushido II shoes on. These might be my definite favourite shoes. I don't have anything negative to write about them. They never disappoint me. But their leanness makes me a bit unsure whether I can use them in rocky alpine trails.

Lessons: Don't ever repeat the mistakes mentioned above.

The dinner on the night before the race

The last night before the race

View of the northern mountains of Innsbruck from our hostel

Saturday 7:00 - June 4 2022 - Hochkönigman Marathon Trail

For me this race was more important than the one in Innsbruck. Because of many reasons: it is more technical, with more elevation gain (3000 m compared to 1800 m). It is more low-key than the Innsbruck Trail Running Festival, there are less runners registered. It is a true mountain running event, in addition to the 50k distance that I participated, there is a Skyrace (part of the original Skyrunning Federation World Series), and also a longer version of my distance (85k). The event is being organised in Maria Alm, a small village in Salzburg with an amazing view of the mountain range located at its north, with Hochkönig (2,941 m) as its highest peak. During the race weekend the whole village is about mountain running. Most of the people are either runners, or their family/friends. Cafes and restaurants are full of fit people in running clothes having beers and carbo-loading.

As I studied the route well, I had some idea from the things that I was going to see. There were no crazy sprinters like we saw in the Innsbruck race. The route starts right away with a climb. And the runners were paying respect to it by running it slowly. They knew their limits, and they knew what they were doing.

I will not explain the whole route with the names of the places and the peaks, because it is already been done here.

I really enjoyed uphill sections. I was fighting, but it was not as painful as running downhill in the last section of the race. Everyone (including me) were using poles. There were two relatively short and not-so-steep uphill sections before the actual uphill started. My plan was to run these sections in a lower tempo. I knew that I will break if I burn myself early in the race. I was drinking water quite often and much more than the Innsbruck race. In the second half of the run, we ascended to the highest points of the route. We continued running on a ridge, visiting peaks on the way. At the highest point of the run (Hundstein, 2117 m), it was quite discouraging to see people with e-bikes riding comfortably while we were struggling :) From the highest point (approximately km 32) it is mostly downhill until the end. There are only around 300 m more elevation gain. Last downhill kms were so painful to my feet and upper legs that I had to slow down or even sometimes walk.

Preparation run: From Mixnitz to Hochlantsch and Rote Wand (22k, 1700 m elevation gain) two weeks before the race. In addition, I did all my trail runs with my poles, no matter how many elevation gain.

Correct approach: I took care of my hydration, nutrition and sleep during the whole race week. I analysed the route thoroughly, watched the videos made by other runners who ran there in previous years. I tried to visualise when should I slow down and when can I run faster etc. I prepared all my equipment 2 days before my departure to Maria Alm.

Accommodation: Sonnberg Lodge. Great place, but a bit far away. I managed to go and come back with bus.

Food in the night before the race: Pasta from the carbo loading, bananas, cheese and bread.

Food and drink during the race: Haribo gummies, salted peanuts, salted water (I added salt to my water for the first time in a run, after I listened to a podcast where they recommended it, and I have to say it was definitely a good idea). At the aid stations: Haribo, salt, some bananas, cakes, a lot of isotonic drinks and cola.

Gear: I had the poles (inevitable). I used them almost during the whole race. Only in the last 2, 3 km there was no need for them. My shoes were Dynafit Ultra 100. I bought these shoes two weeks before the race. I did not have time to do longer distances with them. I decided to buy these after I did a 22k (with 1700 m elevation gain) training run to the Hochlantsch and Rote Wand with my Altra Timp 3 shoes. I realised that these are definitely not suitable for longer and more technical trails.

Lessons: (1) A quite basic thing but I should remember to lace up my shoes quite well. Later in the downhill section it can be painful for my toes. (2) Adding salt to the water is a good idea. (3) Running downhill with the poles brings a lot of stability, especially in the final section where the legs and tired and the risk of tripping is high. (3) Apply sunscreen (again, a basic lesson). (4) Cyclist caps make you look like an idiot. (4) I should do the registration and booking of the accommodation early.