Week 2 and two hill sprint sessions done!

That's the same number of sessions I did in the whole first run-through of the Big Vert plan. 

I've found a great place to do them, too (pictured below).

Average gradient probably over 30%

From the top looking down

I was doing the hill sprints on the road. But the steepest section I could find was just below 20% average gradient.

I hadn't thought about doing them on the trails. But there are actually many non-asphalt steep slopes around here. The problem is the closest ones to me don't have much traction.

But the one I found is doable. There's only one step I need to be careful taking, and the average gradient must be over 30%.

And now that I've found I good place to do these, I'm finding these workouts fun. I go slower on this steeper, dirt slope, but I can go all out without worrying about something snapping as I felt it might on the road.

The riddle of strecthing for runners

This article confirms my suspicion that as runners we need to:

• stretch the hips and front of the leg, especially from the knee up
• avoid stretching the back of the leg (i.e. hamstring and calves but excluding the glutes), or at least not go hard on these area

Why not stretch the calves?

A little bit of stretching might be OK, but I have found it's easy to go overboard and cause injury by stretching the calves too much. Rolling seems OK. But again, gently.

The massage gun also feels good on the calves, at least the sides of them in the thinly-muscled areas.

Stretching the calves in the deep squat position (either by doing deep squats or just squatting down on purpose to stretch) is a good way to keep it within a safe range.

Holding a front squat is also a great isometric exercise for the tibialis anterior. 

I've actually found isometrics to be a far better way to deal with calf niggles and pains: it gets rid of the pain and coupled with isotonic lifts (calf raises) it seems to help make the calves more injury resistant.

Because there is a riddle of stretching for runners.

You know you don't want to too tight in places, but you can't just become a yoga fiend. And it's not just about doing the right stretches; it's about avoiding the harmful ones.

Weight control

I'm going to start watching my weight.

I've always kept an eye on it, but now I want to track it in detail, for a while at least. Mainly to work out what I should be aiming for. Because right now it's just aimlessly going up.

I tell myself I'm putting on muscle. I have become a pullup and kettlebell maniac, after all. But isn't that always what we say when we put on weight?

I'm definitely stronger than a few years ago. But I'm sure I've added a bit of unnecessary fat as well. Or maybe it's not unnecessary? That's what I want to find out.

When I left school, a weighed around 70kg.

When I started running more competitively (I mean entering races and training more as I never really stopped running after high school), in my late 20s, I weighed over 80kg.

I actually ran pretty good times then, even though I'd just started training more. I was fatter, but I had a lot more speed and power. Youth was on my side too, though.

Then at around 33 or 34, I did a lot of yoga and fasting, and my weight dropped below 70kg. This was when I ran my fastest times, but I don't know if it was the weight loss or the training --- I had some good patches of training at this time.

From then my weight hovered between 70 and 73kg mark. I then dropped a lot of weight around 2014, to 67kg, I think.

Then it hung around 72/73kg until 2019.

From 2019 to now, I've steadily climbed up to 75/76kg.

My weight now might be ideal for what I'm doing --- maybe I could be a bit lighter and faster, but I feel strong and robust.

Anyway, I'm going to follow my weight more closely, along with some other metrics like body fat, to see if I can work out if I'm healthiest (i.e. running fast but feeling strong) around my current weight or in the 72/73 range.

This will mean taking some measures and trying to drop a bit of weight while maintaining strength and robustness.

I don't know if the 70kg mark is feasible or even desirable. I'd probably have to give up too much strength.

Strength progression from February to now

After having an Achilles niggles at the end of January, I started strengthening my calves.

Progressively.

I started with static holds and moved on to single-leg calf raises, seated and standing.

I started with 4x8 at 14kg for single-leg standing calf raises on 11 February and now (start of May) can do 32kg for the same sets and reps.

I'm making similar progress with the seated single-leg raise (now up to 28kg), although I started a bit later with this one and haven't gone as far (apparently it should be stronger than standing).

I've also seen a big improvement in the Bulgarian or split squat over the same period.

I started doing 16kg 4x8 times and now can do 26kg 4x6 times.

But the weight is not the whole story with the Bulgarian squat. I had a real weakness on my left side. It felt like my adductor had rolled up my leg after each set the first couple of times.

I persevered, though, doing the exercise very slowly, and now I can do it no problem. Although my left side is still shakier than my right.

I've also been progressing my squats and hex deadlift, but this is more covering old ground. I've trained these exercises with intent before.

The real new ground has come with progressing calf and single-leg exercise strength exercises. I've made good gains, and hopefully am a more resilient running because of it.

And now I've reached the last stage of calf rehab and strengthening, having just added in skipping as a warm-up. I'll soon plateau off with the raises. I think my calves are now close to strong enough for running and injury prevention.

In the coming weeks, I'll also turn down the pure-strength exercises a notch as I get back into muscular endurance training and more running.

Getting good at getting over niggles

They come up, and I get over them in a few days with no fuss.

Last week, I got heel pain after a longer flat run in Z2. Probably from doing this workout too soon after a trail race.

How did I get over it?

• reduced but did not stop running
• did isometrics (ground squeezes with the feet and static calf raises)
• kept doing strength work as usual (heavy leg work at the moment)
• applied KT taping
  
• massaged lower calf and anterior tibialis

Barely a bump in the road.

I think it's not only the approach but the fact that I'm always doing strength training that helps me get over these things so quickly.

Next Big Vert Plan cycle: same again with more flat running

This time though (starting next week) Mike Foote's Big Vert Plan in preparation for the Ultra Pirineu in October, I aim to:

• do more work than on the first run-through and add in more of the bits I couldn't do much of, i.e. do more than:
  
• 1772m+ climbing/week
• 55.8km running and hiking/week
• 7hr 31 min running and hiking/week
• five full ME workouts
• three sprint workouts
• four Z3 (running) workouts
• add in some flat Z2 and Z3 running, probably by replacing uphill Z2 and Z3 run once every three weeks, excluding the recovery week. So it will be:
• W1: 1 x uphill Z3 and 1 uphill Z2
• W2: 1 x flat Z3 and 1 flat Z2
• W3: 1 x uphill Z3 and 1 uphill Z2
• W4 (recovery): 1 x uphill or flat Z3 or 1 x flat Z2 test
  

Alella Xtrail Xtrem 2021

The race

Organisation

10/10!

• perfect course markings
  
• friendly volunteers
• everything like clockwork and as expected

The course

A jagged profile with some nice views of the sea and Barcelona and some steep and technical sections on the other side of the mountain.

The last part of the race was fast (downhill and less technical).

Overall, the course was tough but fast for a half-marathon trail race with around a kilometer of climbing.

19.33km with 1065m+ by my watch.

My race

Slow but steady

I felt slow at the beginning on the runnable uphill slopes but strong on all the steep sections and especially towards the end of the race.

This slowness and strength are surely due to the type of training I've been doing of late: lots of hiking and strength work and hardly any flat running at more than recovery pace.

Fun going down

I felt surprisingly good descending on both technical and non-technical terrain. Surprising because I haven't focused on this at all recently, although I have done a lot of ginger descending. Who'd've thought that would help?

Even effort

I pushed pretty much right to the end, with an average heart rate of around 164/5 throughout.

My time: 2:11:31 in 70th place overall (28th in my category)

My experience with Mike Foote's Big Vert plan from Uphill Athlete

Why I tried it

To get ready for ultras with lots of climbing, specifically, the Ultra Montseny I did on 10 April, which ended up being 78km with over 4700m+, and an ultra I'm doing this October (100km with 6600m+).

I'd also read Training for the Uphill Athlete and wanted to try out a plan with this type of training: with a focus on strength and elevation gain.

Starting point

My recent history before starting the plan:

• mainly training on the flat with at the most two runs a week on the trails
• had done a couple of ultras with a moderate amount of climbing (both around 65 km with about 2500m+). I did the last one in 2019 (my last race, actually). I'd gotten muscle cramps in both these races. This is one of the reasons I wanted to try a more strength- instead of a running-focused approach: to beat the cramps!
  
• had good aerobic base after consistent, just-trying-not-to-get-injured training for a few years
  

Caveats

I did 19 weeks of the plan in the lead-up to the race, but I:

• did only two out of the nearly weekly hill sprint sessions
• did a lot of but not all the prescribed ME (muscular endurance) workouts
• did only two Z3 workouts (plus two on the bike)
  
• didn't do either of the mid-week long runs
• did less vert each week than prescribed according to goal race
• ignored a lot of the days off as I like to run nearly every day
• did long runs that were probably shorter than prescribed according to goal race

Why the deviations from the plan?

My body couldn't handle everything in the plan.

This kind of training was new for me, and I had to adapt it on the fly owing to niggles, especially in my calves, Achilles and feet.

However, I didn't feel overly tired or fatigued and any stage. This kind of training actually felt quite easy. This made it frustrating that the niggles didn't let me do more.

Even so, I trained consistently, having at the most one day off from running here and there owing to niggles.

To adapt the plan to my niggles, I mainly just cut the length of runs and skipped the more intense stuff (i.e. hill sprints and Z3 runs) as needed.

Training done (excluding the last week and the race: 18 weeks)

• average weekly elevation gain: 1772m+ (total: 31,896m+)
  
• average weekly time run/hiked: 7hr 31min (135hr 18min)
  
• average weekly distance run/hiked: 55.8km (1004.4km)
  
• average weekly total training time: 11hr 2min (running, strength, isometrics and cross-training)
  
• longest run (by time): 4hr 6min on 6/3/21
• longest run (by distance): 27.4 km on 20/2/21 (36% of race distance)
  
• biggest run (by elevation gain): 1531m+ on 6/3/21 (35% of race elevation gain)

Result: it made me stronger but slower, at least on the flat

 

1. It got me used to this kind of training (lots of vert and strength work)

I went from averaging just over 1200m+ a week to around 1900m+. And I can now easily do 2500m+ a week.

Next stop, 3000m+ a week!

2. No muscular problems or cramps during the race

The plan made me strong enough to handle all the climbing and descending without a hint of muscle cramping during the 13 plus hours of the race, whereas I had gotten cramps in the previous two ultras I'd done.

However, conditions were ideal for running this time, so maybe it wasn't the training but just the weather.

Even so, this race was twice as long in time and elevation gain as those other ultras, so the training probably did have something to do with it.

3. I got slower on the flat

Here's the comparison between an AeT test (using the Uphill Athlete drift test) I did at the start of the plan and one I did after my goal race:

	Date	Test time	Avg pace	Avg Hr 1st 1/4	Avg Hr 1st 1/2	Avg Hr	Avg pwr	Pa:hr	Pw:hr	EF
1	3/12/20	60'	5:04	145	145	145	253	1.33%	1.44%	1.74
2	24/04/21	60'	5:11	151	151	152	247	3.33%	2.57%	1.63

I did have a headwind for the last 40' of test 2. But even so, I was clearly less efficient in the second test, going slower at a higher average heart rate. In neither case does it look like I'm was at my AeT threshold (probably 155 now).

I half expected this slowing down.

After all, I went from running mostly on the flat (at mostly easy paces) to running on the flat only for recovery runs.

Also, I was definitely not, and aren't now, aerobically deficient, so just staying in zone 1 on hilly terrain (which I did most of the time) was not going to help me on the flat as it might if I'd been untrained.

So I got worse at something I wasn't doing. Logical, I suppose. Although I did hope that the downhill running might keep my efficient on the flat. Alas, it wasn't the case.

4. Did I get faster climbing?

I don't know. I will redo my AnT test to see if I've gotten faster over that course.

But the AnT test might not be a valid indicator of what I probably got more efficient at on this plan.

The AnT test, at least on the course I did it on, is a measure of running uphill at threshold pace, whereas my recent training has probably got me better at moving uphill on steeper slopes at an aerobic pace.

I'll retest anyway.

What's next?

I'm going to do the plan again in preparation for a 100km ultra with 6600m+ in October (Ultra Pirineu). 

This time, I'll up the weekly vertical gain (hopefully averaging over 2500m+ with weeks of over 3000 m+) and add in the hill sprints and Z3 if I can.

I'll think about adding in a Z2 run on the flat each week or so. See if I can arrest that efficiency slide.

UPDATE 05/07/21: Caveats to whether I really got slower

Some time after writing this post, I realised using the AeT test I mention above might be flawed for testing whether I got slower for three reasons.

First, I had breakfast and coffee before this test whereas all the previous tests had been done fasted. This surely meant that my HR was higher than if I'd done it like all the others: i.e. fasted.

Second, it might not be a fair comparison as I was comparing doing the test after not having run in this way for over four months with the last test of this type I'd done after having done four or five of them. I'd had practice and had clearly gotten better at this type of run, which does seem to get my fitter. Perhaps I'm suited to it or it's because I hardly ever run in zone 2 so there are lots of benefits to be gained.

Third, in none of the tests prior to or this last one had I found my AeT: I'd always aimed to low. So the comparison was always going to be speculative.

Either way, I'm pretty sure I got slower and less efficient on the flat. So I'm still going to (and have in fact) add in some flat Z2 training. It seems to get me fitter and running faster on the flat. And this is useful even for events with lots of vert.

Signed up for Vall del Congost trail marathon

 So I'm currently signed up for:

• Xtrail Alella (21km, 1050m+), 2 May
• Vall del Congost Extreme Trail (43km, 3050m+), 5 September
• Ultra Pirineu (100km, 6600m+), 2 October

I'd also like to do:

• Barcelona Trail Races Gran Trail Collserola (77km, 2955m+)
  

Recovery from ultra, about nine days

I could run a few days after, but I didn't feel back to normal until the second Monday after the event. So about nine days.

The sore muscles had gone in a couple of days, but niggles in my left calf and right foot reared their heads on different days. Both quickly over with, though. Gym sessions and isometrics helped.

So, one cycle of the Big Vert plan down, one to go.

I'll have a few weeks transition and then get back into it.

This time with more vert, hill sprints and Z3 --- the things my body couldn't handle the first time around.

The voice in your head that you hear in ultras

That little voice inside your head you start to hear when you embark on something uncertain and awe-inspiring, like an ultramarathon.

I started hearing it last weekend, in the Ultra Montseny, an hour or so into the race.

It became more insistent until it was the only voice in my head, and it stuck around until an hour or two before the finish, when I heard it less and less. It's job had been done.

"Protect your legs on the downhills." "Remember to eat and drink.", "You're doing it!" "Well done!" "Nice work!" "Keep it up!"

It was like having a coach in my ear, telling me what I needed to be doing and urging me on.

On and on it went, talking me through the entire part of the race when everything was uncertain. I wasn't sure I could do that distance without destroying my legs. I'd never done a race that long or with so much elevation change.

Novelty and uncertainty

I'd like to have this voice booming in my head more often. It's always there, I think. But it normally doesn't say much, or is drowned out by other voices.

But it'd be great to have this voice coaching me through my day, keeping me on the straight and narrow, away from distractions and time-wasting.

But I don't think it works like that. The circumstances need to be right for this voice to take control and be the only one in my head.

What are those circumstances?

Novelty and uncertainty. It also has to be something important. It has to matter.

This is when I've heard it before.

On a skydiving jump that went wrong (and just about on every other jump but particularly that day) to in just about all long and ambitious runs or races I've done, from road marathons to ultras.

The first time I remember it taking over when running was in a trail marathon, my first marathon of any kind, in Segovia, Castellón.

I was just under halfway through. Running well, but with cramps coming on. From then the voice took over, telling my what to do, how to make the most out of that situation. Talking me to the finish line and through some tough, cramped-filled kilometres.

But it goes when I don't need it any more. When it's bored, I think. Given how much it seems to like novelty and a challenge.

Last weekend, when I was nearly up the biggest and second-last climb of the day, I started to hear it less. I still had a couple of hours and one climb to go. But the voice was no more.

The result was certain --- I was definitely making it to the finish line, mostly intact --- so it had nothing else to say.

The last couple of hours were a struggle, perhaps more so than the previous ones, but there was no uncertainty, no challenge. So what use would that helpful voice have been?

I could conjure it up. But it wasn't the same. It wasn't coming in and taking control as it had for 75% of the race

How to hear that voice more often?

To hear that voice everyday, I guess I'd have to put myself in novel and challenging situations that matter everyday. The "matter" part matters. Self-imposed deadlines ain't going to cut it. Or would they?

Maybe I could cram more into my day. Make life tougher so that the voice came out more often.

I'd have to give myself no outs, though. Hmm... Easier said than done.

It's also probably why I like running and doing races, challenging myself in some way to hear that voice. It feels great to be in that mindset. You are focussed, not thinking about anything else but the challenge at hand.

Just got to make sure I sign up for another race, I guess.

Ultra Montseny 2021: it actually happened, and I ended up going!

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.