Topo Trail Marathon 2016 Chapter II

Here some of our pictures in the Topo Trail Marathon organized by Topo Adventure (Brian) who always does a great job. Also our congratulation and thanks to all the volunteers that helps and made this race an awesom
e winter trail marathon in Cincinnati.
http://www.topoadventuresports.org







As we mention in the previous post Matt Sertorio and Marc Oria raced without all the workout that they want but they planned a really good strategy that almost gave the team the victory.
Matt launch the race leading from the beginning and giving a big gap between both of our team members and the rest of the runners. Only one athlete can follow them.
For the second loop Marc gave a relay to Matt and since the mile 11 he lead the course till almost the finish line. Mile 24 he was passed by another runner with a strong finish.
Matt and Marc put so much effort trying to make a big gap that at the end both of them were collapsed. Was a nice strategy but the legs fail in the last 6 miles lap.
They crossed the finish line in 2nd place (Marc) and 4th place (Matt)

Congratulation guys

Few pictures from the race

Topo Trail Marathon 2016

Today was the Topo Trail Marathon 2016
Few month ago Matt and I were really excited with the idea but non of us run a full trail marathon.
At the end we sign up 2 weeks ago and with the lack of real training we knew that the race could be a disaster and really painful.
Topo Adventure organized this race by Brian in comand and as always was really amazing all the set up and organization.
4 laps at the same circuit and Matt and I jump to lead the race from the beginning, nothing to lose.
First and second for half marathon during the third lap Matt drop the pace a bit and to 3rd position.
We start colapsing after 18-20 miles and I was leading the curse but barely running in conditions and with a lot of pain.
I thought that I had the race in my hands and 3rd position for Matt but from nowhere a new participant show up at the last minut. Really strong and in shape who passed us in the last miles. Actually he passes me at mile 24 and nothing I can do to keep his pace.
Afterall, 2nd position for me and 4th for Matt, not bad for our debut with no miles in the legs.....now we barely can walk and I don't want to think about tomorrow... robocop is back in town!
Thanks Matt for helping and pushing me!
#jovent79 #jovent79us #trailmarathon #topoadventure

Two Girls in Two Half Marathons

I was pretty disappointed by my time at Yellowstone Half in June and desperately needed something to regain my passion and confidence for running. Run like a Girl in Columbus is a small girl theme race which is close enough and relatively easy.  And a bottle of wine at the finishing line was quite tempting for a heavy drinker like me. 2 years ago I ran Queen Bee 4 mile and was really impressed by how well it was organized. It is another girl only race and Cincinnati course means hilly and much more challenging. Driven by some unreasonable impulse, Carine and I signed up both races which were only 4 weeks apart. In order to improve our time, we reached out to team captain Marc for his help. Marc has always encouraged us to do a full marathon, but somehow I feel I am not ready for next step before reaching certain goal on half.

Of course Marc the Best immediately agreed to coach us. We were only 8 weeks away for the first race Run like a Girl and 12 weeks away from Queen Bee.  I wanted to run a half in 2 hour despite my PR at that time was 2h17m. To achieve that in such a short time, Marc had to draft an intense and efficient training plan; the training included 2 hard intervals, 2 long runs and 2 technical sessions per week. Carine and I decided to do our running sessions before sunrise to avoid summer heat, which means we had to get up before 5am, run for over an hour, get ourselves ready and be at work on time.  That was a hard yet very driven time for me. I felt exhausted but extremely satisfied every day.  Crossing out a task after another, I actually saw my improvement and that was one of the best feelings in the world. Marc is the best coach one can possibly ask for. He encouraged us, challenged us and took care of us when we had problems and doubts. I often joked that he was trying to kill us but inside our hearts, we truly and deeply appreciated what he had done for us.

Carine and I are good students. We tried our best to follow every requirement but I was still doubtful before the first race. I told myself it would be a good self-examination to see how far I have gone. Yet it was still quite stressful because I was so scared to let Marc down and more important, to fail myself after all these tough trainings.

We stayed a night in Columbus before the race and fed ourselves in nice Columbus restaurants. Right before going to bed, we got messages from our lovely coach, team mates and friends with their best wishes. The warm feeling eased my anxiety and recharged me again. Often I got people asking “Why you’re doing this?” “You’re crazy!”, but friends and families who know me know: this is the way I live. Not only I love challenges, I need them to feel fulfilled and completed. 

The weather on the race day was perfect for a run. It was a relatively flat course and I felt really great for the first 8 miles. I could easily achieve my 2 hour goal if I had kept that pace. Starting from mile 9, I found myself hitting the wall. My legs were so tired and my pace dropped almost 40 seconds per mile. After race I was told that was caused by lacking of energy intake, which Marc had been telling us all the time. Because I felt so great in the beginning, I didn’t want to waste any second. Therefore, I learnt the lesson in a hard way. That was a battle with your will and body and I was chasing the time for the last whole 4 miles. Then I crossed the finishing line. 1:59:04! So close but I made it!! Carine was there waiting for me, I asked her time and knew she made it too: 4 minutes faster than her original goal!! Incredible!! We hugged each other tight and couldn’t help but tear a little bit. It was the thoughts of those hard trainings and the time we spent made us so moved and emotional. We made it and we deserved it!! I texted Marc and expressed our eternal gratitude and love to him. He was super happy for us too, as well as all other friends!!

The second race was still waiting for us but we were much relaxed this time. We finished the rest of the training schedule and stood on the starting line of QueenBee. The first part of the course was quite hilly but I was prepared for that. Without pressure and with well-prepared energy intake, I finished the race in 1:55:46! Three and half minute less than last time another new PR achieved!! Oh I do love running and the payment you get after sweats and tears! This is not always true in real life or work in our field, sadly!

I want to thank every member of Jovent79 US for all their suggestions and supports. My BFF Carine, I couldn’t do this without her company.  All the moments that we shared together during the training will remain one of my best memories. And our magnificent coach Marc, thank him for letting me join this warm family and making my dream come true before my 25?! Birthday!

ALTRIMAN 2016: The new walking dead episode

I wasn’t there when Toni, David and Carlos decide to sign up for the IronMan Distance triathlon Altriman 2016 in Les Angles (France). I don’t really know why they decided to do this bestiality and why I decide to join them. Altriman is considered one of the toughest Triathlon in the world and why we should do this? Probably the beers during the decision meeting between them or maybe because always we decide to do hard IronMan’s.

We started together in Ironman's except David who raced 2 other before but Carlos, Toni and I started together in the long distance together back in 2012 with Lanzarote, 2013 with EmbrunMan, 2014 Vitoria, 2015 Barcelona.

This Altriman was my 5^th Long distance triathlon and I always will remember this one as hell.

-3.8 km (2.4 miles) swim in a lake in the Pyrenees at 1560 m altitude (5118 feet)

-197 bike km (122.4 miles) with a total elevation gain of 4700 m (15420 feet)

-42.2 km (26.2 miles) run with a total elevation gain of 750 m (2460 feet)

http://site.altriman.com

These numbers scare me from the beginning and also because we don’t have hills here in Cincinnati to prepare properly this kind of race.

I finished Ironman Barcelona in October and after the rest basically I started the season in November. This means that was a short preparation for Altriman which was in July, only 8 months for a huge event. My friend from Jovent 79 sign up for the race but I didn’t do it straight forward after them, I wasn’t sure 100% and also because I know that the slots for this race never sold out. No many people want to race this crazy things! Haha

December and as always shit happens! I felt and I luxate my left shoulder, the acromio-clavicular join was affected and also a small crack in the acromio bone. After Christmas I start running and biking on the trainer with pain but no swimming at all. I couldn’t rise my arm and I had a terrible pain. Seem to me that the season was over…….

January and February just indoor trainer!!! So boring but really effective on my legs.

Basically I started training in March when I couldn’t swim but I can run a bike and run on road but I continued mostly with my hard sessions on the trainer (Bkool)

April, May, June was hard to me because I wasn’t sure if I can be ready for such a hard race. June I’ve had an infiltration on my shoulder and oh my God, it worked!!!! No pain!!!

After all the incidence during the year I put in my legs this numbers from November to July:

            -Swim: 85.5 km (53.1 miles) in 32h 22minutes

            -Bike: 4323.2 km (2686.3 miles) in 388 hours 36 minutes with 111368 meters (365380.5 feet) elevation gained but most of them on the trainer! 3105 km (1929.3 miles) in 339 hours 6 minutes with 99605 meters (326788 feet) elevation gained. I am an indoor trainer Man!! Hahaha

            -Run: 612.8 km (380.8 miles) in 51 hours 31 minutes with 2282 meter (7486.8 feet) elevation gained.

No big numbers for a big race like Altriman but I decided to sign up in June. I know that if I didn’t go with Toni, David and Carlos to the race I’ll regret all my life. I would love to thank Matt and David for all their help and support during the year, riding incredible rides around Cincinnati that no one want to ride, riding long when they don’t have to ….. I like that the spirit of Jovent 79 is present in Jovent 79 US. No one never left behind!!!!!!

These are the numbers but I did a great invisible training as always (stretching, sleep more than 8 hours/night and eating very good and that means healthy, 5-6 times a day and always eating during  the 30 minutes after any session to recover as fast as my body can). But ladies and gentlemen, also I did a great mentally preparation for the race for months.

I was visualizing every single aspect of a race with the worse things in mind, worse scenarios. I was sure that Altriman will be long and hard as hell, I know that I wouldn’t enjoy any single aspect of the race, cold water, long ride with huge elevations, terrible pavement, crazy downhills that I hate, riding in altitude with less oxygen, really hot temperatures at some point, cold during downhills and on top of the big hills, possible rain and a terrible hilly marathon around Les Angles with more than half of the run on trails. Also receiving an e-mail from them saying that we should bring a headlamp for the run doesn’t help!

But having all these things in mind and knowing that I wouldn’t enjoy any single minute of this race the reality was worse than I expected!!!!!

The previous week I borrowed Palo’s bike and Joan Benach fit the bike for me! Oh man, I am so lucky to have people like them around me. They always help and support without asking anything in exchange or demanding anything in return. Sincerely gratify to have them as a friends!!

On Friday July 8^th we drove from Barcelona to Les Angles to do the check in. In Les Angles we met with other members of the Jovent 79 family that came to see us. Bikes ready in boxes and time to go home for a short night. The Altriman will start at 5:30 am!

At home I can feel the nervous in the air, silence in between crazy laughs. All of us have experience with IronMan’s but this one is not a regular one…..

At 3 am the alarm beep and all 4 of us met at the kitchen to have breakfast, really short night but I already knew that that will happen…… I feel good, I am ready for the “inferno”.

Lara, Mamen, Ariadna and Pepe came with us and I feel them as part of my family. My wife and daughter couldn’t come but I am really happy to have them around. So incredible what they do to help us doing this sport.

We arrived to boxes, people running everywhere ….. we had 30 minutes to check the bikes, food, bags at the aid stations during the ride. Was completely dark and each single person wear a headlamp to arrange their own things. 8 C degrees (46 F) indicates that the swim could be hard and the bike at the beginning very cold.

5:30 and we are all the beach of the Matemale lake for an Australian start. Few minutes later the red flairs indicate that the race began!!!

Crazy swim trying to navigate in the dark, seeking for the buoys…….. The water was cold but warmer than outside ….. then I realize about my first mistake ….. my googles are dark like a sunglasses to swim outdoor in open swim water at daylight! swimming like wearing dark sunglasses at night! Hahaha maxim stupidity! Hahaha When I reach the first loop I saw 36 minutes in my garmin …. Not bad for the long time without swimming and all the incidence in the water. I am not gonna fight in the water to gain few minutes. Bit of pain in my shoulder but I knew that this could happen. At the end 1h15’46” and ready for the T,1 or not… because the T1 was in a trail path, impossible to run barefoot hahahaha.

Wow when I was semi-running to boxes I saw Marc Marin cheering me and giving me race info. Marc Just qualify for Kona in Frankfurt IM and now he is here helping me! Superfan of this guy!

David came out few minutes before me and I am second of the team.

I did a long transition because I decide to change completely my clothes and to wear the cycling kit after 7 minutes I was out riding. During the T1 I saw Toni complaining about the swim and we had time to chat shortly.

The real part starts and I decide to take care of myself and hydrate and feed myself continuously. This is long and hard and I don’t want to have any issue for not eating or drinking enough. 8 big hills and several rolling roads are waiting for me.

Who say no is laying and all of us make numbers in our heads. This is a hilly road ride and not flat all; and that means that I cannot average high speed like with my TT bike, then if I average 25 km/h (15.3 miles/h) for almost 200 km (120 miles) I should finish in 8 hours.

I was freezing during the first km (miles) I was wondering to take the wind stopper with me but I decide not to carry all day long with it. The first hill I pass so many people, maybe I should ride slower but my legs were fine and I decide to push like I did in EmbrunMan. I don’t want to spend so many hours on the bike! First down hill was crazy, I almost poo myself … narrow road, the pavement was terrible with gravel on the turns and then I discover that the traffic wasn’t close for us!! I find out in a curve, I can see now the face of the French guy … probably mine was the same! Haha.

Temperature drop at the shady part of the mountain to 6 C (42 F) plus the wind going downhill kill me and I was shivering and I couldn’t stop my teeth!

After 40 km (24.85 miles) I passed David because he was in an emergency call (number 2) walking into the woods! Hahaha

Then I was averaging 24 km/h (14.9 miles/h) and I realize that will be hard to keep the speed. I am not good going downhill and the average drop and drop and drop.

The tallest hill was Palliers at 2000 m altitude (6562 feet) at 100 km (60 miles). I climb hard passing many riders ….. I was enjoying the ride contrary to my thoughts. The views are amazing there, small roads in between woods, different colors and different trees depending on the altitude. Small rivers with fresh water and snow on at the top make these mountains a magic place to enjoy riding. On top of Palliers I put my feet off the bike to grab some bananas and drink and from there I stopped in any single aid station. Sound more like a cycloturist ride than a proper competition but the reason was because the temperature rises and rises to reach 36 C (97 F) and that makes the ride really tough.

At the 140 km (87 mile) the craziness began! Really long hill with 8-10% inclination follow by a short downhill and then another hill with 12-16% inclination make my nightmares came true. Pain in my feet, pain in my bud, pain in my hands, neck etc… I was dreaming to jump out of the bike. We were riding in a small gorge very humid, narrow and with no wind. I ask two other competitors if they know about the course and they mention both the same “Be careful here, this is a trap”.

The following 3 hours were a nightmare, the worse feelings, the bad ideas came to my head. I am gonna give up as soon I jump off the bike. But I was thinking at the same time on my daughter Marina and my wife Mar. They don’t want me to give up, I never did. My daughter always wants a medal; she always carries the medal for me proud of her father. She wants it and she deserve it more than me. And what I am gonna say to my wife? That I was tired? That I came to Europe for nothing? That we lose our vacations for a ride in France?

The last Kms (miles) my legs return to be normal, I was ready to run.. I wanted to run and wanted to do it fast. Seem no normal but I wasn’t that tired. I rode the last part fast and thinking that I am there to fight and I was ready to run fast! I felt great.

Arriving to the T2 I saw Carlos cheering me! What?????? What he is doing here? He gave up and I just said “You put us in this slaughterhouse ….  I am gonna kill you!” hahaha.

Bike in 9 hours 23 minutes at 20.54 km/h (12.7 miles/h) average. Wow I never been that long on a bike!

All the Jovent 79 family was there! It is really nice to see familiar faces cheering you:

Lara, Mamen, Ariadna, Maria, Marc, Josep, Carlos, Pepe, Josean, Lucas I Clara gave us energy to continue, to not gave up when thinks goes wrong or got tough.

During the T2 I change my clothes again to wear the tri suit, took all the gels and started running as fast as I could for the trail path around the lake. The first part was pretty flat and I was running a good pace 48 minutes for the first 10 km (6 miles). I crossed Toni who was running and later David who was walking but looking good! We send supporting words to each other in seconds. I was really happy to see them on the marathon. I am sure that they had their own bad moments during the bike part and they didn’t give up. So happy, So honored of these warriors!!!

Then I saw them! It was like fresh air into my lungs: Joel and Idoia were there waiting for me to pass. Joel run with me a bit but also help me to realize that people that I care about were there supporting me, helping me to finish something big.

But then the worse began, from 12 to 17 km; first 5 km (3 miles) going up hill to the Village of Les Angles, trail and stairs to reach the center of a small village in the Pyrenees. When I was running on top of the village I heard him from his car “Marc!!!! You are running really good, you are a beast, you don’t know all the walking dead people that are around you” Jordi Olivella made me laugh when I was inside my inner world. Thanks man for this moment!

Then the course turned left in a big street and I saw a wall, how can be that possible? The French people around there applauded me “Ale Ale, courage” but I started laughing and walking against that wall which I couldn’t see the end, a 15% obstacle that kill my mind. Not because was hard to climb, because I am going to the races to run no to walk.

We continue climbing after the huge hill and reach a very nice lake on top to turn back downhill. I didn’t run very fast because I was worried about letting me go and destroy my muscles.
I was down again to the lake and the sun starts going down as well, the twilight show us the reality, this is a long long race. I still had to run the last 12 km (7.5 miles) and my stomach started not working. I put gels inside but wasn’t getting the energy from them. I started running slower and slower but I was close to the end!

I crossed the Marin family before the lake dam and they only asked me to eat anything but I said no several times! Later I will understand why they ask me to eat! Hahaha

Joel and Idoia run with me all the dam long and gave me support for the last kms (miles). They are amazing! Always in debt for their support and help.

Turn at the end and just 5 more km (3 miles) to the finish line located at the Les Angles village. I knew that I had to climb again the trail path and the stairs but are the last 2 km (1.2 miles). I walked that climb, I couldn’t run anymore. I crossed David for last time and he ask me if I wanted his help …. I was dizzy, walking from one site of the path to the other, looking down to the gravel watching my feet going one step after the other.

Finish line in a stage inside a gym, the reason is because half of the people arrived at night and the limit is 00:30 am.
I run the marathon in 4 hours 37 minutes, far from my expectations but good for what was the reality.

I rise my arms under the finish line 15 hours 29 seconds, finished 33 and 22 of my age group.

I am an Altriman but ……. No good feelings, I just suffered like hell, I didn’t enjoy this triathlon which is my passion now. I don’t know if I was mentally obsessed with these ideas that now I completely believe it. I don’t know yet…..

Then the worse happened at the end when my stomach couldn’t accept any liquid or solid intake. I did the walking dead inside the gym but finally I sat down and I got dizzy. The doctors move me backstage and took care of me with glucosaline infusion because my pressure was low and drugs for the stomach. Thanks Josean for taking care of me being by my side! I know that you made fun of me and I love it! Hahaha

After  2 hours I felt better and saw my teammates around me. We are finishers of this walking dead episode.

This is absolutely crazy, insane and brutal! No sense for me this kind of races. I think we learn the lesson to not sign up for this kind of races without preparing accordingly.

Next year ……. I don’t know yet neither but I am sure that will be with Jovent 79 and hopefully we can continue racing together (Toni, David, Carri and myself). Carri, you’ll be finisher next year but please choose an easy one! Haha

Summary of the Team:

Marc Oria                    15:29:36          Overall 33/Age group 22

Toni Amat                   16:56:35          Overall 60/ Age group 29

David Jimenez             17:16:14          Overall 74/Age group 40

I want to finish this report giving my thanks to the Triatlo Jovent79 Team, Jovent79 US Team and BAMRacing Team for all their help and support during this difficult year and of course to my family because without them Tri dreams never will come true! 

I love you all

 

Hugs

 

Marc

Yellowstone Half Marathon

Yellowstone half-marathon, a challenging trail run!
On June 11th 2016, Grace, my brother and I were at the West Yellowstone, for the half marathon, organized by Vacation Races. We felt so excited and nervous at the same time. Our first trail run for Grace and myself and for my brother, his first half-marathon (hope not the last one :p).

We discovered what a trail run was! ...and we were certainly not prepared for that! Running in sand, dirt road, grass and rocks not so easy when you add to this, a couple of big hills to climb at an altitude of 2000 meter. Difficult to move, breathe, you can feel your heart beating fast and your lungs try to catch some oxygen!
My parents and my brother's girlfriend also came and cheered us up. My dad was really excited about our race. He was a great coach! He took pictures, checked our pace/time and ran with us during the last kilometer, encouraging us: "almost there! you're doing good!".
It was quite an adventure for us! We glad we did it but not sure if we will do another trail run.
Thanks to Marc for giving the bib to my brother and giving him the chance to run is first half marathon with his sister! :-)

Carine

  

Running changed my life! I try not to sound too dramatic or corny but it’s the most significant thing happened to me for the passing year. A weekend doesn’t really start before a morning run followed by a nice cup of coffee. Every time I travel, I want to explore the new place with my running shoes. Rainy days become unbearable and active wear starts to take over my wardrobe. I can go on and on but none of these would happen without joining the team Jovent79 US.  The awesomeness of being part of team would require another big chapter so let’s focus on Yellowstone half marathon for now.

Yellowstone half marathon sounded like a fantastic idea-doing a race while visiting the most iconic national park. We planned a trip of visiting both Grand Teton and Yellowstone and ending up with surreal Las Vegas. The dreamy views we had during the whole trip were beyond description. I wish the team could have come with us. However, the anxiety haunted us in the first few days of the journey because of the upcoming race. Carine, Pascal and I went to the expo a day before the race thinking “We are so NOT ready for a trail run! The shoes are wrong. We’re going to fall on those rocks!” And having a bear spray vendor at the expo certainly didn’t help! The force of stabilization and encouragement is Bouffi papa Jean-Claude, a former elite runner who had been qualified for New York Marathon years ago. He helped us to get ready physically and mentally by checking the course and temperature, providing tips and running with us side by side for the final mile. Bouffi mama Sylvi acted as a perfect backing by making us carbo-loading meals and cheering us up with her loving nature. Pascal’s girlfriend Virginie is such a sweetheart who successfully took the crossing line pictures with our ferocious faces.

My 3 month-training plan for this race included 1 spinning class, 1 circuit training and 2-3 long or short distance runs per week. I was aiming to break my personal record which shouldn’t really be hard to achieve. I thought the trail was the biggest challenge and I was so wrong; it turned out the high altitude was the real killer! I couldn’t even maintain a relatively slow pace for 200 meters and right after the gun shot I knew no record was going to be made that day.  The idea of compromising the original goal frustrated me but on the other hand, the slow pace did spare me extra energy to deal with the rocky trail. Over 2500 anticipants on a dusty trail made breathing even more challenging but I tried to keep a stable pace and focused on every step I took. I witnessed 4 people fell during the race and I tried to help one girl to her feet. You could tell she was too upset to express her pain or even say a word. At that moment I realized everyone was struggling just like myself.  It wasn’t an easy race but we don’t run a half marathon because it’s easy. I do this because I love challenges, inspirations, self-searching moments and most important-a sense of achievement at finishing lines. I encountered Pascal around mile 7 and he was doing really well considering it was his very first race. Running gene does run in Bouffi family for sure! Then I saw Jean-Claude, it was so heartwarming to have this kind of parental supports in foreign land; plus it was such a relief to know there was only one mile left to go. Crossing finish line is still one of the best things in life even though I was quite disappointed by my time. Later chip time showed 2:23:42, which barely beat my first race Flying Pig a year ago. However, the warm greetings from my French family dispelled all negative thoughts and I felt simply happy that I made it.

You probably don’t know how much I like to make a thank list just like receiving an Oscar on stage so please indulge me. First of all, thank Jeff for all his insightful information of the national parks and being so attentive. Thank Matt, Vivian and my friends for picking us up at airport. Thank Max for coming up with this brilliant idea and then abandoned us ;)! Thank David for enduring my whining. A big thank to Marc for training and encouraging me. Last but not the least, the magnificent and “sensational” Bouffi family!! I enjoyed every moment with them and truly appreciated their supports and love. So, what’s next? I am ready for another “breathtaking” race and a new journey.

Grace