Sorry.
I've been missing from the blog for a whole week, but I was really busy.
I've been missing from the blog for a whole week, but I was really busy.
...also, I wasn't in the mood.
Beside all the usual fucked-up-things in the lab, I was feeling weird: two weeks ago I had the stupid intestinal flue... Try to run in that conditions. Horrible!! Every step was a potential biohazard...
The last week instead, I was really weak and my legs hurt so much. It was impossible for me to run 10 km without suffering. I didn't know if it was just because I was at the peak of my training-work, or it was some physical condition that I wasn't aware of, or if I was just broken and I couldn't play with my legs anymore...
The last week instead, I was really weak and my legs hurt so much. It was impossible for me to run 10 km without suffering. I didn't know if it was just because I was at the peak of my training-work, or it was some physical condition that I wasn't aware of, or if I was just broken and I couldn't play with my legs anymore...
I was tapering, and it was good to be forced to run only few km, but still, I was really worried. Worried of not being able to run the ultra.
And that's why I was in a bad mood, and that's why I wasn't writing anything.
Anyway, with this bad feeling in my mind, I went to Tyler on Friday night (Tyler, a dry city with a lot of gun shops: you kill people but, hey, you're sober).
5:00 am, Saturday morning alarm's beeping. The ritual of the carbs load with pasta, and it's time to go.
The motivations were high, but still I had the ghost of not making it flying over my head...
The motivations were high, but still I had the ghost of not making it flying over my head...
The Tyler state park is a nice forest and the weather was perfect. Moreover, the nice attitude of all the other dirty runners helps a lot*.
Closer I was getting to the starting gun, better I was feeling, and I was starting to feel ready.
At 7:00 am sharp the ultra started (together with the 20 miles).
The course was a really nice trail of about 10 miles (3 loops for the ultra) with steep up-hill in the beginning and in the end (the last 2 km of the loop were so hard) and smooth up- and down-hill in the middle section.
Right after the start, I was feeling really good and the first loop went out easily. During the second one I was feeling even better and I increased my pace (in some point I was 4:50/km).
Now the ghost was gone. I knew that I wasn't in a bad position, but I didn't know exactly how many runners were in front of me. Close to the second aid station, I passed one guy of the 20 miles and he told me that I had only a couple of runners in front of me, but I didn't want to believe it (because I'm realistic [doesn't mean I'm pessimistic]).
At the end of the second loop I stopped at the aid station for a quick refill of my water-bottle, and again they told me (by the way, thanks for the big support from the guy of DDR) I was second or third.
So, I stated to believe it a little bit harder, and I complete the third loop with no problem at all (honestly, I was feeling so good that I could run for 20 or more km...).
Final result: 3rd place over-all and first of my category. It took 4 hours, 43 minutes and 5 seconds.
Not bad! I was happy!
Now the ghost was gone. I knew that I wasn't in a bad position, but I didn't know exactly how many runners were in front of me. Close to the second aid station, I passed one guy of the 20 miles and he told me that I had only a couple of runners in front of me, but I didn't want to believe it (because I'm realistic [doesn't mean I'm pessimistic]).
At the end of the second loop I stopped at the aid station for a quick refill of my water-bottle, and again they told me (by the way, thanks for the big support from the guy of DDR) I was second or third.
So, I stated to believe it a little bit harder, and I complete the third loop with no problem at all (honestly, I was feeling so good that I could run for 20 or more km...).
Final result: 3rd place over-all and first of my category. It took 4 hours, 43 minutes and 5 seconds.
Not bad! I was happy!
...and now, some random considerations: I need to improve my down-hill run. Luckily for me I'm good on the up-hill. The LaSportiva trail shoes are AWESOME! My eyeglasses leash worked perfectly: ugly but effective. Because of the ultra, I've been happy for almost two days.
General note: it's late, I'm tired, I'm busy. I haven't checked out all the typos and grammatical errors. Take it has it come. Peace.
*Note (to myself): I'm usually thinking that humans are trying to kill and fuck each others. But when I see all these runners, happy and friendly to every one, ready to help and/or cheer up perfect strangers, well, my faith in humanity is somehow restored... In other words, those ultra/trail runners are peaceful tree-huggers. I should try to be more like them... I don't know if it's in my nature. Probably it is, but my assholeness prevails...
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