I became skayrannerom in the Carpathians: the training, the start and the result

Generally, mountain races are very different both from the highway of the city running, and from loved me triathlon. In urban starts - Marathon and half-marathon - you know exactly what will be the route. It's pretty clear what will be the weather. The landscape, too, is known for 100%. Moreover, you can read a lot of reports and plan the race properly. The same is true for the long triathlons. They often introduces a variety of unexpected wind veloetape, the sea can become agitated and wave port or help their movement. And yet at the stage of swimming you can beat the little arms and legs for the start of a colleague. The main triathlon work - is careful planning nutrition, hydration and the ability to move quickly through the transit zone.

So, in the mountain running almost nothing is impossible to predict: the route can be changed hours before the start, as it was with us. The temperature can vary by tens of degrees, and dress properly is impossible in principle. In the mountains, everything is extreme states: if the rain, the rain, if not rain, the hail, when wet, it flows, if it is hot, you are melting and flowing, as if not trained to do this.

Impressed? If so, here's my story and the start of full delight of this sports discipline!

training

I live in Kiev, and to train in full because the mountains I have no way. Those who say that Kiev - a hilly city, just do not understand what they say. This is not the hills, and just a handful of earth. I trained in Goloseyevsky forest. climb more than 300-400 meters per workout I have ever had. But the training was speed and interval, in the end worked well, and compensate for the lack of these mountains.

Two days before the start of

In the Carpathians, I found myself in advance. Two days before the start in the infernal heat of my friend, ultramarofonets with the experience offered to show me the mountain. We peshochkom from escaping scored 1150 meters. I had a panic. It turned out that I had no idea what to subscribe! What I had to do in a day - to reach a height of 1400 meters at the speed of the race - much scared me. But Carpathian gelid springs and Hutsul liqueur had its calming effect, and I'm cold.

It also became clear that the race should be taken with a sunscreen. Sun effect in the mountains can not be underestimated.

The day before the start, I did not go to any pasta-party simply because the new information from terrified beginners and experienced trolls I was no good. Before going to bed, I carefully gathered, I checked everything that could be checked (triathlon school in action) and lay down to watch "Rick and Morty».

By the way, when you start in the mountains, the most carefully read what you send mail by the organizers. Most importantly it concerns equipment that you should have with you. For our start it was:

• cap;
• izofoliya;
• charged and working phone;
• windbreaker;
• whistle;
• a water bottle.

At the finish of the organizers of the strict check the availability in all the mandatory and for each deficiency you fine for about 20 minutes in total transcripts of time!

I slept lousy. Especially because in the evening I went to a terrible rain and the river below the hotel has become a full-flowing tenfold. What was going on there in the mountains at this time, I tried not to think, but thinking, and therefore slept uneasily.

start the day

The start was at 8:00 for polumarafontsev like me and at 7:00 for ultramarafontsev. My friend - ultramarafonets, so we went to his start. The rise was at 5:00. Morning skayrannerov includes:

• breakfast porridge;
• drinking water;
• smearing vaseline or "Boro Plus" everything that can be grated;
• Fast patch locations that often rubbed;
• a trip to the starting point.

The launch day was overcast, no rain and no sun. Looking ahead, I will say that I saw it only on top of the mountain Petros.

Mountain wisdom is that it is necessary to start calm and not to succumb to all sorts of racing mood, do not try to get ahead. Prove necessary for all on the slopes! Our start was here a profile:

Fourteen kilometers from the start all the time we gained altitude. Flat areas was very high. Master advised me not to run up the hill and go. As quickly as possible, but do not move to run and maintain a high cadence. Which I did. Strange, but the state of agony I experienced and was just doing a job like a robot. The ears play a cool pre-selected classic pretentious, creating a holiday mood. Mindful of abundant rains, I took along HydraPac (liter bag with water in a backpack and a pipe for drinking) and is limited to one bottle of 0.5 liters and one empty in reserve. I drank a lot, but the remaining 1.5 liters were The cold spring-water miracle. It was a thrill! What's the IRONMAN? :)

Usual mountain trail:

The road on which you climb - is:

• slippery rocks;
• slippery clay;
• sharp stones;
• grass (too slippery);
• ground with puddles and mud;
• stones the size of a soccer ball, which sometimes roll and crumble.

All this is compensated by the views.

Honestly, I have tears rolled from them a couple of times. Perhaps it was some kind of euphoria chemistry, implicated in stress and anticipation of agony on the complexity of the track. Meadow, fog, flowing run too far in the mountains, clouds, in which you enter and exit - it is something. But the most beautiful - this is what is above the clouds, almost at the top. Around all bathed in heaven! Top - the sky, you see 50-60 meters and find yourself as if the outside world. Nobody around. Once you're in heaven!

And here I am on top of the mountain Petros height of 2020 meters above sea level. Race on it takes you to skayrannera status that involves a race at an altitude of over 2000 meters! At the top I met a few runners and first realized that I was for a long time no one overtook. So I decided that I would not waste time at the top to rest and photos and have to run without stopping. And all this happened!

But then I was shocked, which is comparable with the first start of the triathlon, where all run up together in the water and you are in a heap of bodies ten minutes of commercials (if you know what I mean). But it was even worse. It turned out that the stories about the coolness of descent from the mountain, I saw a few wrong. If we talk numbers, the 1.6 kilometer altitude loss is 465 meters! It is almost vertical descent, which consists of small and giant rocks, where it is necessary to jump from a height of 1-2 meters!

If the words to describe my impression, this mat. Very dirty. I caught a betrayal and went so fast that Strava was in sixth place on the speed. :) Oh, I was fast.

Then I have learned that the people there and fell and skinned hands and feet. In general, it was very extreme and wildly entertaining. Well, that was not killed.

As soon as I came down from the mountain, he met his coach, who was second on the ultramarathon there and back (I was running only in one direction), and it has inspired me greatly. Bring I can not Yura, especially after such a descent. And here I am after a cup of cola on power point imbedded. Then there was only the trigger, and I did not miss the target. The result surpassed the 30 people, and at the finish was 12 th out of more than a hundred starters.

Descent to the mountain to the start of many amateur athletes - it's more complicated thing than the ascent. The slope is steep, and you should always slow down. All this is compounded by the fact that under the feet of dirt, wet stones and tree roots. Before that you were climbing up the hill, and your feet have become almost unmanageable, and cotton. Possible instability and stupid mistakes. All this is necessary to try before you plan on winning competitions.

The main lessons that I learned from my first start

1. You can not predict the weather. Those who ran a little slower than me, came under heavy 3D-rain. Everything was wet! Ultramarafontsy who were returning along the same route, talked about taking down the trail winds to hail the size of a grapes on water flows, which is similar to the descent of stones and mud flows, which this time they climbing!
2. Take the clothes, do not care about weight. Better to have a raincoat, than not to have. Wear a cap: it removes sweat showers and rain water from the eyes.
3. Follow the meal plan. I ate GU gels every 45 minutes, even when there are not wanted, and drank a lot. That was the plan, and trust yourself at the mountain can not conquest. It adds uncertainty and the fact that in the mountains all the time something happens: the weather changes, the thunderstorm approaching, the hail, the crowd stew lovers who do not really understand what you are doing and where carry. Put timers on the clock and zhrote. The only way.
4. Forget all the garbage like barefoot running or light shoes with thin soles. In the mountains you will really come in handy sneakers easier, but sturdy soles and studs - gods there. I have heard dozens of stories at the finish of the stones tortured legs as slazit skin. I just did not understand all this. New Balance 910 Trail make this information irrelevant to me.
5. You need to buy bottles of soft and treylovy backpack. I ran and trained with a backpack The North Face Flight Series - chic and very handy thing. Bottles I Salomon. When the bottles are soft, they are bubbling and do not irritate. Use tight-fitting shorts with pockets on the belt, to put gels and salt tablets.
6. Forget about waterproofing. It is simply impossible for the rain that comes from all sides. I had a jacket adidas Outdoor series with protection from the wind. Light, compact and bright (handy if you lose or not be able to go).
7. Legs still get wet! Puddles, rain, streams, your sweat - this can not be avoided. The important thing, as far as sneakers transferring moisture away from the feet. And even then, how do you know your feet and their weaknesses to the rubbed sore places. they all need to be rewound paper or cloth patch! I knew and rewound.
8. Mountain running - it is very difficult in any case. Do not try to break yourself through knee-deep, if not ready. Then you will not forgive. Here's a picture to understand the situation. This recovery performance and load of the Polar Flow system. Compare how different training loads commensurate mileage from the real start in the real mountains! Remember what I use Polar V800?

What's next?

On the day of the finish line, I learned the name of his next start of the Carpathian crafting IPA. The next morning I checked on him. it Salomon Cappadocia Ultra-Trail 22 October in Turkey. Join now! It seems that it is already possible, right? ;)

And now get ready. This time - with trips to these mountains. This trail will not forgive frivolity.