"If you are a cock, crow; if a hen, lay eggs!"
One week ago sharp I was in Onnion, 500km from Paris. And that weekend I learnt to always check the profile of a trail before agreeing to participate in it.I should have first described the Moscow marathon which took place earlier, but absence of logical thinking and grey cells at all has accompanied me lately.
This trail was introduced by a running barefoot buddy Sergio whom I met during Saturday runs with Let's Run Paris. Sergio is an experienced runner having done many marathons, ultras and trails. Knowing that I run marathons and am quick on my toes, he sent the link and mentioned that many of his barefoot running friends were coming along.
At first I was hanging a leg, but just after my marathon I applied from my phone during my mini coffee break at the office. Very natural for me that right up to the last week before the trail i just knew it was a 30k thing and somewhere not in the Parisian region (I learnt only afterwards that it was 500km away).
Several days before the trail I got the trail shoes from Alessandra (another ladette from Let's Run Paris) and met with Gaë, a very strong and fast runner and LRP 5m pace leader, who loves trails and mountains. It was him who removed the scales from my eyes….
The first question he asked and which I could not answer was about the uphill gradient: "How many meters?". He read from my face that I had not the lightest notion of that, so he opened the website and showed to me the trail profile - 1537md+ with 2 summits and 2 very steep descents.
Being more than surprised at my ignorance, he asked: "Do you have everything you should for a trail?" As I understood after, I had not a damn thing. I left Gaë as if I was leaving Santa - a windbreaker, a hat, waterproof leg warmers, first aid box, a whistle, waterproof pocket for iPhone. And I thought I was ready….
We were leaving on Saturday. On the way I learnt that just Sergio and I were running 30k, the others were doing 15k. They had 800md+ and they were saying that 30k was really a lot. I began to get worried…. However, I had no choice …
Upon arrival (1000m above sea level), I immediately felt the blood hammering in temples and it made me think of an article that I had read about professionals training in the mountains who managed to reach better results afterwards on flat terrain.
After a very nutritious dinner (a local burger with 2 hash browns instead of bread and a café gourmand), we went to sleep to our hostel where there was no one but us and where the door would not close even at night. Without a second thought I "booked" my WC and a bathroom right next to our room since I did not see myself hanging around in an empty building that looked more like a haunted place with it's owners' portrait handing above the door as if reminding you of who the owner of the place was.
Oh yes, it anso turned out that the trail was next to Switzerland, and that we were not far from all the ski slopes. Our village (Onnion) was a ski village by the way.
In the morning after packing my camel bag and having put on all my North Pole outfit, I followed everyone to the start. I was still fresh and happy...
The start was given for me and my adventure time… 1 km after I already felt that running with a 3kg bag was no fun, that legs were were not easy and light as usual, that strange as it might seem I started having drops of sweat coming down the temples.
After 3km I dropped into a walk, fast one, but a walk.
I should say that adequate participants all had ski poles. There were only 2 who did not have any: Sergio and me. Neither the other barefood runners had them. To my question why we did not take them, he smiled and said: "Why would we need any?".
On the flat terrain we switched to running again, but after steep uphills (and I need to say that the first 10k we only climbed up), slush and mud, swallowing your shoes with wathever gortex soles they had, it was getting more and more difficult for me to run.
I felt that even walking up the hills, my heart was working at its max, and sweat was showering down my head which I had never had even after long runs of more than 30k. And then… just then it was only 9k behind. The last km before the summit was covered in a battle with my reason, body and emotions. My legs could not continue, my head was splitting, my eyes were filled with happiness from the views, but the pain in the legs overcovered the splendidness of the place. And so, just 500m before the summit, I could not believe my eyes as I saw ants literally tailing along the hill to the summit. Those were the trailers, and they were so far, that it simply seemed impossible for me to be in their place, because I simply could not make a move.
I stopped, looked around and took a picture...
View on the first summit. It seems not that high, but when you pay attention to the small figures of people as if ants, tailing to the summit, you understand that the summit is not close yet and that what seems not high, is just still far away.
After the micro break I tried to continue walking.. There was no other option.
This photo was taken a bit further up the hill, which is quite clear. It's important to underline the angle of the uphill and also the fact that there were not just young people in it. Also that most of the trailers had ski poles that made it a bit easier to walk up the hills, which is not so evident in this photo for this particular guy.
There was no turning back, the only thing I could do it to
Before the steepest part to my surprise there started to appear old gravestones as if making a hint...
On top of the summit there was Sergio waiting for me to finally climb that peak and as he said later, I threw a stony stare at him (which I believe I could do at that very moment). At that moment I really hated him. I was angry at him for not having mentioned the difficulty of the trail, for not having convinced me to apply for 15k only.. That one was my first trail while he had already covered hundreds of distances in trails.
After taking the photo I deserved on the top of the peak, we started our first descent after 10k. You can easily read my emotions in the photo: the pain has partially finished, I need to smile.
We stayed for about 15m at the refreshment point, and I thought it lasted no more than 2 mins. I had never been that happy to drink 2 glasses of Coke as at that moment. The descent continued. But it did not last long. Our descent was rather steep and fast (up to 13,5km/h). My eyes hurt because of high concentration on where you put your feet, and I did not want to suddenly fall and break anything.
We were already at the 2nd refreshment point, where we stayed but not that long and started the 2nd ascension.
Either I was morally prepared already to suffer, or that uphill walk was not that difficult as the first one. It could be both at the same time too and this time going up the hill was a bit easier. When I say easier, it does not mean I was jumping of happiness, but I just had a thought in my mind that I had already done half of the sufferings and that there is just the same distance left.
I look very tired and exhausted in all the pics I took myself. That's true. I tried to hide this in the photos but I just had no possibility to do that any more. I remember approaching a photographer, when Sergio said: "Here comes the photographer". I asked to literally stop for a second as I needed to relax my facial muscles since I could not smile at all. When I saw that photo on sale after the trail I did not buy it as my attempt to smile was the biggest failure of that trail.
My ascension to the 2nd peak was not as torturing as the first one as it was 100m less tall that the 1st one.
Being checked by the volunteers at the peak who scanned our bibs, we started the second and last descent. However, descents in those parts were more dangerous than the uphills. I understood that during the week that followed the trail when I could not take the strairs up or down. Even if I went to run a couple of times during the week to eliminate all the toxins.
The descent lasted for 6k and it's not that interesting to speak about this part and the descent took place in the forest and only at the end through some small villages.
All that will stay forever in my memory is the views part of the trail. I had never seen such beauty before. I had been to the mountains but mainly for skiing or snowboarding. I had seen mountains covered with snow. And now I saw mountains in exceptional contract ofthe green of the forests and meadows, clear sky, terracota ground and bright spots of the wandering cows.
Maybe our time could be not 5hours 6minutes but 4h30, if I had not stayed too long at the refreshment points and if I had not stopped to take pictures, but that is not just a run on the flat terrain but a trail. Unity with Nature, freedom, air and the beauty of the landscape! How would it be possible to feel all this without stops to contemplate and immortalize it with photos. Why so much suffering then? those uphills are made to make people understand the price for accessing such hidden VIP beauty.
The nutritious burger the night before the trail. In such moments you don't think of calories, on the
contrary: the more you consume the day before, the better you will feel during the effort.
At the start:
The cows could not understand why so many people around. All I cared sometimes was to make a photo with those Milkas. =)
The second peak. The distorted mirror of the Earth…
Some more photos:
And my favorite ones: