How to not run a trail marathon
Spindly legs
I've started running quite a few years back. However, after completing my road marathon in 2018 I've dropped in form, and afterwards even stopped running altogether. Life got in the way and I had no time to train which left me feeling worse. A year or so back, I've decided - no more! I'll start running, and as a Misogi of sorts I've applied for a local trail marathon - UTMB Istria 42k.
I had unfinished business with UTMB Istria since I've trained for it twice already, but didn't start both times. First time the race got cancelled due to Covid, and the second time I've injured myself a month or so before the start. This time though, gloves are off and I've decided I'm starting and finishing the thing one way or another.
Training plan
Since my time is limited due to family and having a million obligations, I've opted to create my own plan. I've ran for a good number of years so I was confident I could create a plan which will get me to the finish line - alive or dead. I knew it would not be fast or graceful but it should do the trick. Earlier in my running "career" I had a trainer, but I didn't want to waste anyone's time, since I knew I'll probably break the plan down, and change it on a per day basis to accommodate my limited training time.
Training plan consisted of 4 runs a week.. on paper, in reality it was 3 runs a week with shorter mileage throughout the week. However, I've kept the long runs proper and done them all over weekends.
I've done around 450 kms in the 5 months leading up to the race, with my longest run hitting 33 kilometers. I've felt great with the training block I've done, but that was a mistake. See, the thing is.. I've done all of my runs (but last) on roads with limited ascents, while the race I was running was a trail race with around 2k elevation. I've knew at the time that I was making a mistake, but I told myself it would be fine. Why wouldn't it, right?
Beginning of the end
A week ahead of the race, I've done my last long run. I've went to the woods finally, to enjoy some trails and see how my trail shoes fit since I didn't wear them for quite a while. I've planned to do an 11 km run, but as it happens I got lost due to a missed turn and extended that to 14 km. It was fine, and I was feeling great. Being on the trails in a long while got me excited, I loved running through the woods and it was awesome.
Next day I was thinking how good the training block went, and how this is the first time that I didn't feel any issues with my legs or got injured. And sure enough, later that day I tweaked my knee as I played some football with my kiddo. Couldn't believe that it happened, and in such a dumb way. I'd be fine with hurting myself while training, but playing around... This got me feeling a bit insecure, and I paused all my runs until the day of the race.
Night of the race
I was feeling a bit anxious regarding the race, especially since I didn't know if my knee would hold up. I was so strung, that in my sleep I remembered that I didn't drink magnesium before sleep. So I got up and went to drink some. However, it seems that was a dream too since I woke up in the morning with the bottle still good as new. What a way to start the race day.
Race day
We went to the race early, and I managed to get ready in peace and warm up a bit. Weather was nice, but it started heating up real fast as we got closer to the start time. The race was starting at 12:00, which ensured that we run through the hottest time of the day.
After the warm up we grouped up at the start line and waited for the GO. At 12:00, we started running up a steep climb towards the town of Motovun. Instantly, I started feeling my left calf and a cramp starting to form. I've ran through it and managed to recover. After the steep climb there was a really fun downhill through which I ran playfully. It was great, but as any trail runners reading this know, it was a mistake. It was still really early, and I went too hard at the start with 35 more kilometers ahead of me.
I've reached the first aid station quite quickly, and in the rush I managed to forget that the next aid station is 15 kilometers away. MISTAKE #1: I didn't refill my water and electrolytes but sped through it into the biggest climb of the race. As soon as we started climbing I realized my foolishness and started rationing the fluids. It is not that fun having to climb a step hill while realizing you are low on water and have about 10 km to the next aid station. I was praying that I'd find some water source on the way, and I was real happy when I saw an impromptu aid station at the top of Oprtalj offering bottles of water and slices of oranges. I've refilled my bottles quickly, grabbed two slices of oranges, and survived to fight another climb.
From Oprtalj to Groznjan we had a short stint on a road, and then we followed Parenzana trail which led us through beautiful landscapes all the way up to Groznjan. After a few kilometers of downhill which started to destroy my quads we got to the second climb of the race. This climb was more difficult for me than the first one, my legs were getting tired, and I was once again getting low on fluids which started the dehydration arc which will only get worse later on.
However, despite all that I managed to climb up and reach the second aid station. After greeting my family and talking to them for a few minutes I made MISTAKE #2. My blerch self saw the aid station spread and decided that he is really hungry and will try things he did not use in training. So the blerch ate 2 slices of bread and Nutella, half a banana and some chips. Along all that, the lazy blerch decided that he did not want to mix his own tried and used electrolytes MISTAKE #3 but rather will fill the bottle with the race offered electrolytes and carry on. Oh how foolish this was. These two mistakes in combination almost ended my race.
From Groznjan I started slow and steady to make way toward Buje. The distance to the next aid station was about 7,5 km and I thought I'd get there in 45 mins or so. However, I did not account for the food which I foolishly ate which sat like a rock in my stomach. Soon after leaving the station I started having some pains, but I'm still not sure if it was from the food or some injury to my abdominal wall. It was a real weird feeling and one that followed me through to the finish line. Along side that, I tried drinking the electrolytes (MISTAKE #3) and almost barfed them all up. I've emptied the bottle into the bush, and got left with around 0,4 liters of water in my other bottle for the next 5 kms. That would've been fine had it not been around 25 degrees, and had I not lost about an hour or so until Buje. I walked more than I ran, I could not connect more than 200 meters of running without stopping due to my stomach issues. The lack of water made me ration it even more, and I started getting really dehydrated which only made me feel worse. It is a "zaracani krug" from which you cannot really recover easily.
After a lot of suffering I did manage to get to Buje station where I was smarter than before. I opted for the tried and true meals, a small amount of chips to recover some salt, and a few slices of oranges which "raised me" from the dead. I've mixed my own electrolytes this time around, got some more water and was ready to tackle the last 15 kilometers to Umag, or so I thought.
Leaving Buje I was feeling refreshed but that soon turned sour. I was hitting the wall and I was unable to run properly still. I had to invent all kind of mind games to get my legs to run. Walking was not an issue, and I was constantly moving forward but trying to run for more than a few hundred meters at a time was a pain. In the end, with the combination of mind games such as "I'll walk 200 meters, run 300 meters and then prolonging this to 200, 500 meters" made me progress.
During my first marathon I never felt this bad and never actually hit the always feared wall, but it was another time and it was another me. At the time, I was doing keto, intermittent fasting and you don't really hit the wall if your body is fat adapted and you trained properly. But here, in "another life", with a limited amount of training and an even worse diet I had finally ran into what felt like a wall.
Thinking about my son here made me move faster and faster as closer I got to the end. I promised him beforehand that he would run with me into the finish line, and I did not intend to break that promise. As such, once I got to the 40th km, I started to fly. I'm not sure if I managed to recover a bit, or did the adrenaline of getting closer to the finish line give me a second wind but for the last two kilometers I felt great and my pace has improved.
Running into Umag and joining onto the bike path which lead to the finish line felt like a weight lifting of my shoulders. Seeing my son waiting for me 200 meters from the finish line felt like pure ecstasy. I've took his hand and we ran together through the streets of Umag across the finish line. He was looking all around happy and surprised by everyone cheering, hitting the barriers and clapping. It was really great to enter the finish line with him, and it is a memory that I will cherish forever, a memory that made all the effort throughout the winter, throughout this race worthwhile.
Lessons learned
Welp this was a great experience, but I did fumble it greatly. Three lessons here were learned:
- Be mindful of your legs as you're getting near the start
- Nutrition plan needs to be much much better
- Trekking poles might be a good idea on races with a lot of elevation
Injury
Although my preparation was great, the injury near the end got me insecure. Next time around I'll need to watch my legs out better as I get near the start line, and not do any football or anything similar.
Nutrition
My nutrition plan here was awful. It started bad since I did not do any sort of carb loading beforehand, and I should've done two or three days. On the aid stations I should've not strived from the tried and true food I took on trainings, and not mixing my own electrolytes got me in a real bad spot. The amount of food I took is quite low, I should went for 2-3 gels per hour, but I took only 3 gels during the whole duration with 2 bottles of electrolytes, some bananas, orange slices, bread with nutella and chips. This is not nearly enough calories as I should've took. The finish here was more of a mental effort than a physical since my body was pretty much drained.
PS. The Good Samaritan
I managed to help a Roman out during this race, and saved his race. During the race I noticed one guy in particular quite a bit. You couldn't miss him really. The only guy in the race without a hat, while it was 25 degrees © and the sun was scorching all of us. He ran past me a few times, and then sat in shade to get better. One of those times, he looked really really bad so I asked him if he needs any help. He was thinking about dropping out, as he was getting pretty drained and his head was hurting from the heat. Luckily I had an extra buff (stretchable neckwear) in my pocket that I was not using. I've told him to dip it in water and cool himself down, then use it as a hat of sorts going forward. It worked because 30 minutes or so later he sped in front of me, and I never saw him again!
All in all, this was a great experience, and I can't wait to tackle a similar race again. This time around though, I plan on preparing myself much better and get to the finish line strong and content.