Sierra Elvira COPA de ESPAÑA, GP Buff-Salomon 2011

Today I ran my first Spanish (mountain running) Cup race in Atarfe (near Granada), and what I consider my first major mountain running race (apart from K42 in Argentina). Over the past 9 weeks I have been focusing solely on this race and saw it as a target to help me 'come-back' from my injury in December. I knew it was going to be a tough race as Spain has some of the best mountain runners in the World and with so little training under my belt I was unsure of my capabilities.

The race started with the expected frantic pace with everyone vying for the front to avoid the congestion on the small paths close to the start. I managed to get into a comfortable position and avoided getting tangled up with any other runners. At the first climb I managed to over take several runners and found myself in 8th position... unfortunately in no-man's-land! I was too far behind the leading group to make visual contact on the sharp twists and turns and too far ahead of the chasing pack to slow down to let them catch me up. After 5 km we passed the starting area again where Alison was waiting with her camera. From 5 to 20km this is where I remained (in 8th position), however I felt strong and was running at a pace that I felt I could sustain all day. However things changed quickly and the following few kilometers were tougher than anything I have ever encountered. The climbs were so steep I was reduced to walking and the descents were so steep that they brought flash back to Tamadaba Trail (the race I broke my hand and collarbone in December). At 25km (out of 28km), just I thought I was on the finishing straight into the finish I was faced with a climb so steep I could hardly see the top! Mentally I switched off...I was not expecting it and was not prepared...suddenly runners started to pass me and I could do nothing to respond! Everything seemed to fall apart! I started to cramp badly in my legs and feet felt like they had been cut to ribbons. The last few kilomters were some of the most painful kms I have ever run. Within the space of a few kilometers I lost 13 places and finished in a disappointing 20th position some 17 minutes behind the winner Ivan Otiz.

After reflecting a little on the race I have started to feel a little better about myself. I did only start training properly 9 weeks ago after having close to 3 months were I could do very little for myself (even button a shirt). I now have 7 weeks to improve on some of my weaknesses before the next Spanish Cup race in Artenara, Gran Canaria on the 19th June.

PHOTOS TO FOLLOW....

Thursday 5th April: Since the race on Sunday I been in bed with a 'stomach bug', which might explain the dehydration/ cramp and how quickly I faded in the last few kilometers.

Trail-X, Gran Canaria (VIDEO)

Sorry for terrible Spanish.

Trail-X, Gran Canaria

Yesterday I competed in my first race since my accident in December. After having 4 months away from racing it was a good opportunity to go through the processes of racing before the Spanish Cup on the 1st of May. The Trail-X is a new race to Gran Canaria and was run in the Valley of Fataga in the south of the island. The half marathon was an out and back race along a dirt track into the mountains.

I wanted to test my leg speed in this race so I went out hard from the gun setting a pace which was too fast for the other runners to respond to. Going through 5km in under 20minutes I felt very good however the heat was starting to get to me, temperatures reached 35degrees during the race and I had to make use of all the water stations during the race.

At the half way point I took a split on my watch to allow me to try to work out what sort of lead I had. I past the 2nd placed runner after 2min30 so I could work out that I had roughly a 5min lead. On the way back down it was nice to hear the encouragement from all the other runners. At times during the race I felt like easy up because of the extreme temperatures however I didn't allow myself to ease off the gas. I crossed the finish line in 1h25mins over 8 minutes ahead of Carlos Rodriguez in second place.

Overall I was pleased with my performance, however I feel that I could do with a little more speed; something to work on over the next few weeks.

One month to go...

It is  nearly 4 months since my accident in Tamadaba and it has been a long struggle to recover and get back into training fitness. At the end of January I was given the all clear to start jogging again. This extremely difficult at first as I had lost so much form and to add to the difficulty I also had to wear a figure of 8 supporting brace to stop my shoulders from moving too much which pressed tightly on my chest restricting my breathing. However I managed to run for about 30minutes per day and it felt great to be moving again.

My first training regime fell off its tracks a little at the start of February because of G-COM, I had so much work to do that my running had to take a back seat for about 10days. When I was able to run again it felt like I was starting from scratch. But after putting a few good days behind me I felt like I was back in the game. In February I had the pleasure of training with some of the World's best orienteers who were in Gran Canaria for winter training camps.

By March I felt like I was in a proper training regime again, and was doing all of my 'key' weekly sessions. For the last 2 weeks I have been running for approximately 14hours per week plus gym, cycling and swimming sessions. As I have built up my volume I have been feeling stronger and stronger.

In exactly four weeks time I will be in Granada to run the 1st Spanish Cup race of the year, which will be not only my first major test since the accident in December but also my first real test against serious competition.

Video G-COM 2011

Boström and Volynska win G-COM 2011

Olle Boström from Sweden and Nadiya Volynska from Ukraine are the winners of first ever Gran Canaria Orienteering Meeting.

On the weekend of the 11^th to 13^th of February the sport of orienteering reached a new level on Gran Canaria. Three of the major players in Canarian orienteering (O-riéntate, Limonium Canarias and Active Canaria) teamed together to organise the Canary Islands’ first multi-day international orienteering race, G-com (Gran Canaria Orienteering Meeting).

The main goal was to show the world of orienteering what Gran Canaria has to offer and to help develop the sport in the Canary Islands.

With over 100 entrants from 15 different countries and many locals trying orienteering for the first time, it can be said that the organising team were successful in fulfilling their goals. “We are extremely pleased with the turn out we have had” said Allan Bogle “and to have so many of the world’s best orienteers taking put has been an absolute pleasure”.

Even though the entry list included current World Champion, Matthias Muller from Switzerland it was the young Swede Olle Boström who dominated the weekend’s races. Boström won all 3 days in spectacular fashion. Hhis overall time was 4minutes faster than 2^nd placed Oleksandr Kratov from Ukraine and 10minutes faster than 3^rd placed Aleksandr  Bernarciak from Poland. World Champion Muller who was only able to run on the last day due to national team commitments said after the race “I wish I was able to take part in all three races! I will definitely try to return for next year’s G-COM”.

In the ladies’ race it was Ukraine Nadiaya Volynska who showed her dominance throughout the weekend also pulling off a hat trick of wins. Volynska, who’s overall time was over 20minutes faster than 2^nd place Marie-Lousie Axenborg from Sweden, managed to leave the other ladies trailing behind on Sunday’s mass start event coming home with a 7minute lead.

Both Bostrom and Volynska won sports equipment that was donated by Zonaboxes sports shop in Las Palmas.

It was not only at the top end that the races were contested, there was also a strong battle to be the best place Canarian between local runners Gaston Mora and Fran Hernandez, with Mora coming out on top with 10minutes to spare over Hernandez. Mora, who was 8^th placed in the overall rankings, won a weekend in a Rural Hotel which was kindly provided by Gran Canaria Natural.

It has to be remembered that orienteering is a sport for all ages, and G-COM had a category for some of the older competitors which was won by Roald Kleppe from Norway who is in his 70’s. Kleppe won prizes which included gifts from Gran Canaria Tourism.

G-COM 2011 would have been impossible to put on without the help of many collaborators, which includedGran Canaria Tourism, Gran Canaria Natural, Vivac Aventura, Faro 2 shopping centre, Zona Boxes, Coca Cola, Arista - Transgrancanaria, La Isleña Pasta and Buen Lugar Gofio.

All Photos from: Alison Hill Photography

Tamadaba Trail Tour (T3)

I have been putting off writing this post for a while now...but here goes...

The first edition of the Tamadaba Trail Tour holds mixed emotions for me! The race covered a 20km course around my favourite part of Gran Canaria, Tamadaba. It is always a pleasure to run in such spectacular scenery, however unfortunately this race did not end well for me!

The week before the race was my 30th birthday which I have to admit I may have over indulged a little in my alcohol intake, leaving me very run down for a couple of days and making me miss 4 days of training. I was in two minds about whether I would run the race or not! the evening before the race I managed to run for 15minutes and felt 'OK'. So I decided that I would be on the starting line!

I started the race at my usual fast pace wanting to make my competitors work from the gun. Two runners came with me, Jose Salom and Matias Ojeda. I kept pushing but felt in my body that things weren't going exactly how they should be. Jose and I started to pull away from Matias, I didn't know much about Jose's ability apart from that he was a road specialist and a former Ironman. His road speed became apparent during a road section of about 2km, he quickly pulled away from me, however I didn't worry too much as I knew I would be a lot stronger on the descent.

Hitting the top of Tamadaba (1400m) I was told that Jose had a lead of about 2mins which I thought I would catch easily. Coming off the top off the mountain I quickly increased my speed on the easy descent as I wanted to catch Jose before the technical descent section. Things seemed to be going well and I was feeling confident. However things suddenly took a turn for the worse!! I lost my footing and fell forward landing heavily on my right shoulder and left hand. Straight away I knew something was wrong....but something inside me told me to get up and run!! my shoulder and hand were in agony  but I kept running. At the next drinks station I told the organisers that something was wrong, but I decided to keep going. I managed to keep my speed up quite well  and I was able to minimise the pain by clasping onto my t-shirt keeping my arm across my body.

At the begining of the technical descent, which was about 5km from the finish I stopped with some of the organisers who tied a few t-shirts and jackets around me to stabilise my shoulder. I decided that I would not be able to run any more as the adrenaline had worn off and the pain had become too much. Two spectators very kindly escorted me down the mountain giving me water and painkillers...

It was not a very enjoyable descent firstly watching Matias go by and then the other runners. Everyone offered me words of encouragement as they passed by. For some reason I decided I wanted to finish the race running and as you can see from my face this was very painful.

I was whisked straight off to the local clinic where they re-located my dislocated shoulder and bandaged up my hand. I went back to the competition centre to thank the organisers and the other runners for looking after me so well.

Later that day I got x-rayed and found out that I had broken my collar bone and my thumb... and that I might be out off training for up to 8 weeks...

More to follow...

Ruta de Doramas 2010

Ruta de Doramas 2010

2010 has been probably my least successful year in running that I can remember, plagued with illness and injury I have only won one race, Maraton del Norte (a 60km trail race) in June. At times during this year my motivation has dropped and I have gone long periods with very little structured training. However in September I decided to do something about how bad 2010 has been and I left my job to concentrate on my running. For the past 10 weeks I have trained more (and better) than I have ever trained, with my main goal this autumn being Gran Canaria Challenger, an 85km Trail race. The week before the race I felt like I was in the shape of my life, however this would be first experience of Ultra distance running so there were lots of unknowns! during the first quarter if the race I felt brilliant, I had built up a significant lead and was running a pace which I felt I could keep going all day. This feeling didn't last long after about 20km the plastic tapes which were marking the course suddenly stopped! I didn't have a clue where to go, and I was all by myself! I decided the logical way was up and over the hill in front of me..so I started climb the rocky hill, on the other side I found a small path which seemed to go in the correct direction! after about 5minutes of running a long this path it stopped and I was lost again, with another 10minutes of running around like a headless chicken I suddenly saw the red and white tapes of the route ahead! this sight filled my with anger more than joy as I knew I had lost a large proportion of my lead and the more experienced runners behind will have made significant gains. To cut a long story short, this anger and frustration with the race organisers lasted the race of the race. I was caught by the chasing group soon after 35km and they did not have much difficulty going straight past me! It is impossible to guess how I would have done in this race if the organisers had managed to tape the route fully, I may have still finished in the position I did! however at least I would have enjoy the race instead of been infuriated the whole time.

Challenger was supposed to be my last race of the season! I had billed it in my head as "the last race of my 20s" (as I turn 30 at the end of November). Following the disappointment of the race I immediately started to look for another race to run before I turned 30, with only 5 weeks I was unsure if my body would have recovered from the experience of Challenger in time to full fill this goal!

I decided upon Ruta Doramas, a 27km trail race around the mountains of northern part of Gran Canaria. Last year I was a spectator at this year and was impressed with the level of organisation. So I filled out my entry form and sent it away and started to pray my legs would feel better soon.

The 3 weeks between the 2 races was very busy, with my parents coming to visit and various other commitments. I managed to do about 10 days decent training, including only one long run (Tamadaba Trail Tour). The Tuesday before the race I decided to run a reduced interval session at the athletics track to see how much speed I had in my legs, during my 3 interval my right leg seemed to disappear from under me, it had no power what so ever! I could see all the disappointments of 2010 flash in front of me! Should I write-off this year completely and focus on 2011?? I hobbled home after been forced to cut short this training session and started to re-evaluate my plans to run Ruta Doramas. I gave myself until Thursday night to decide what to do. On Thursday night my hamstring was still extremely tight I spent most of that day stretching, icing and heating the affected area. Going to bed that night I was still unsure whether I would be at the start line. On Friday morning I got up and felt like a new man, the pain and tightness and lessened significantly, and I decided that I would run!

There was a very strong field expected in the race, ironically my main rival would be one of my oldest friends, Ewan McCarthy who is in Gran Canaria for a training camp. The race started with the usual fast pace with everyone fighting to be first to the start of the first decent along a very narrow trail that is nearly impossible to pass people on. I was 3rd starting down the valley's very steep side and put my knowledge of this path to good use. I have trained many times in Firgas and knew every twist and turn of the path ahead. I reached the bottom in 3rd position and quickly took over the 2 runners in front as I didn't want to be behind any one when we reached the technical rocky sections. It wasn't long before I realised that my friend Ewan was with me closely followed by last year's winner Matías Ojeda Montesdeoca. Together the 3 of us pulled away from the rest of the field easily. Going into the first big climb Ewan took on the lead and I was able to draft of him and recover from my early pace. At the top of the climb we had started to pull away from Matias, however of the flatter section at the top he quickly reeled us back in and all three of us went through the first drinks station together.

I build up a small lead on the steep downhill section, quickly to loss it again on the steep up-hill section! Ewan and I kept together the whole way to about 20km constantly changing the lead and working together to try to distance ourselves from Mattias. When we hit the road section of the race I put my road running experience into action and stepped it up a gear trying to get away from Ewan as I knew he would be very strong on the final ascent into Firgas. Going into the last big climb (750m in about 2km) there was a small crowd at the bottom cheering me on, after about 15seconds I heard another cheer telling me that Ewan was close behind. Usual on this type of ascent I climb with my hands on my knees crunched over, however I knew I would need as much oxygen in my lungs as possible if I was going to beat Ewan, who is known to be a very stronger climb. So up-right I made my way out off the valley floor, with my legs burning and my lungs crying out for air. I hit the top with nothing left, knowing that I had about 200m along a flat road to go. I was hoping Ewan was in a similar state to me when he hit the top! with the finish line in sight I realised I had won! normally I am quite 'cool and collected' when I win a race, however this feeling of victory felt a lot sweeter as I have had such a bad year! I crossed the finish line with my arms raised in delight! I am won my last race in my 20s!

www.alisonhillphotography.com

Ewan finished 1min 30 after and it was great to share the feeling with my great friend! who's 2nd place was even more impressive considering that he has spent much of the last year living on an oil rig in the middle of the north sea. Matias, who has not ran very much in the mountains this year arrived home 7 minutes after me.

www.alisonhillphotography.com

I would like to thank Club de Montaña de Firgas for a fabulous race and a great party afterwards! I definately plan to return to Firgas next year.

Allan's top 5 Running Books

I have decided to do a feature where I 'review' (well review is maybe a bit of an over statement) my favourite running books, all of which can easily be bought on Amazon Books:

1. In Quest of Gold: The Jim Ryun Story

This book about running legend Jim Ryun is the most inspirational running book you will ever read. Ryun's story is maybe not as well known as Prefontaine's (for example) however in my eyes it is equally, if not more impressive. Along with his coach, Bob Timmons, Ryun re-wrote what could be expected of a teenager in terms of training, endurance and in competition. 

2. Running with the Buffaloes: A Season Inside with Mark Wetmore, Adam Goucher and the University of Colorado Men's Cross-country Team

In this documentary style book Chris Lear follows the cross-country season of the University of Colorado’s cross-country team. You get to experience their epic training regimes and the trials and tribulations of their races.  The twists and turns you come across in this book sometimes make you doubt that it is fact not fiction. A must read for any runner!

3. The Greatest: The Haile Gebrselassie Story

Jim Denison’s book The Greatest is the story of undoubtedly one of the greatest human beings ever to have lived, Haile Gebrselassie. The book charts Haile life from his routes in rural Africa to his repeated World domination over every distance from 5,000m to the Marathon. Call yourself a runner? Then read this book!

4. Pre: Story of America's Greatest Running Legend Steve Prefontaine

Known as the ‘running Beatle’ Steve Prefontaine was the first (and maybe the only) long distance runner to cross the line from well know runner into international celebrity. Allow not the greatest runner of all time, Pre was certainly one of the most interesting athletes ever to have lived, and if his life had not been cut short so tragically who knows what he may have achieved. 

5. The Perfect Distance: Ovett and Coe: The Record Breaking Rivalry

Athletics has never seen (and is unlikely to see again) a rivilary to match that of Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett. Together Coe and Ovett re-wrote the middle distance record books in the 1980s. Their different family backgrounds and clashing personalities makes for one of athletics story greatest ever stories ever told.

Buy Cheap Running and Cycling Gear from Wiggle

Wiggle Online Cycle Shop

Check out Wiggle's online shop for some amazing deals on running and cycling gear.

If you live in the Canary Islands and are tired of paying a lot more for you sports than you would at home, then check out Wiggle Online Cycle Shop. Wiggle is an online shop which specialises in selling top quality sports equipment from running shoes to GPS navigation systems.

However the best news is that they post to the Canary Islands! I have recently bought a new pair of Brooks Cascadias for close to half the price they can be bought for in Las Palmas, and they were delivered straight to my door within 5 days.

Challenge Gran Canaria 2010

This is a difficult blog to write without sounding like I am making a lot of excuses for my performance, so I will start of by saying that I am pleased with 4th place and that there is a good chance I would have been 4th place anyway (without the problems I encountered during the way).

For those of you that don't know, Challenge Gran Canaria is an 82km race that starts in Puerto Mogan at 6am and follows mountains trails across the highest peaks in Gran Canaria, eventually finishing in the capital city Las Palmas.

The race started on time and over 150 runners headed out into the moon light. The first part of the course was relatively problem free, with only one strange course marking that caused all of the front runners to come to a stand still to work out what was going on. Once back on course together with a small group of runners I broke away from the rest of the field as we began to climb Montaña Tauro. As we reached the summit I was in the lead and some how without changing pace I started to pull away from the rest of the runners and I felt really good. Descending Tauro I knew that I had gained a significant lead and was feeling really positive about the race ahead. However this positivity did not last long!

At the bottom of Tauro there was a small group of spectators that directed me down a track towards a small dam, as I reached the track junction at the bottom the plastic tapes which marked the course suddenly disappeared! So I took a random guess and followed the track to the left which very soon came to a 'dead-end'. I turned and shouted back to the spectators, who shouted back 'CLIMB!' so I started to climb the steep mountain side in front of me hoping to eventually hit a path, after a while I hit a small path and I had the dilemma of deciding which direction to take. I started to run expecting to see some plastic tapes, but there weren't any and this was a difficult part of the course with many paths and animal tracks etc. I decided to slow down to see if the following group would catch up and have a better idea of where to go. Eventually I was a sign post (not the organisation's) point towards Presa de las Ninas which I followed and after several hundred metres I was some the race marking again. You can see my alternative route below.

Crossing the dam at Presa de las Ninas I knew I had lost a significant amount of time, and from that point on I had an extremely bad attitude toward the race! I was so angry that the organisation could make a mistake like this. When you are running for 82km you should have nothing else to concentrate on except running. However that said I reacted extremely badly, I lets it affect me and it stopped me from enjoying the rest of the race which is a great shame as I have trained so hard over the last few months.

I managed to hold me deminished lead until after Roque Nublo 35km into the race, when the eventual winner Alejandro and the 3rd placed runner Jose caught me up. It was actually a bit of the relief to have people to run with again.

This relief did not last long. I went through the half way point at Pico de las Nieves spending very little time replenishing our supplies, soon things started to go strange! Several weeks previously I went to the organised training that covered this section of the course, and I returned a few times afterwards to re-run it again, so I knew exactly where to go. However Alejandro made an unexpected turn, where he should have continued to run straight on. I had no choice but to follow. There were no markings or arrows to show the way, the only way I could tell we were on course was by the footprints of the runners competing in the shorter Challenge Marathon. If I had been alone at this stage I would have had ZERO idea of where to go! and I don't understand how some of the other runners behind knew where to go. I found out after the race that the organisation had to change the route, but for some reason I can't find anywhere where this information has been written.

(more to come)

Challenge Gran Canaria... final count down

This time tomorrow I will have been running for 7hr30 and hopefully will be reaching the final stages of Challenge Gran Canaria. Challenge Gran Canaria is an 82km ultra-distance reach which starts in the seaside village of Puerto Mogan in the south-west corner of Gran Canaria and follows mountain trails diagonally across the island eventually arriving at Santa Catalina in Las Palmas.

My kit

Since leaving my job 2 months ago I have dedicated my time to preparing for this race. I have ran 100s of kilometres over the toughest terrain Gran Canaria can throw at me, and I feel like I am in good shape. My body has adapted well to the training and I am stronger than ever before.

However it doesn't matter how much training you have done...you never know exactly how you are going to physically and mentally react under race conditions. This race is 22km further than I have ever ran at one go before, it starts very early in the morning and I will be competing against people that have a lot more experience than me.

If any of my dedicated fans (Barry and Gordon) would like to watch the race, I am aiming for roughly 10km per hour. This should get me into Santa Catalina at about 14.30 tomorrow afternoon.

START (P.Mogan)- 06.00
Presa de las Ninas- 08.00
Roque Nublo- 09.30
Pico de las Nieves- 10.00
Santa Brigida- 12.00
Jardin Canario- 13.00
Teatro Perez Galdos- 14.00
Santa Catalina- 14.30

(could be any time between 13.45 and 15.00, but if you ask at the finish someone should be able to give you an idea where I am).

Good luck card from Alison, who is in Malaga this weekend :(  

OK, time to carbo-load....

Final race of the summer: Donard & Commedagh

My promotional tour of 'Europe' ended on a high, running up Northern Ireland's highest peak Slieve Donard, in the annual Mourne Runners Donard & Commedagh race. The race was won by Northern Ireland's inform fell runner Stephen Cummingham, topping an impressive season. I finished several minutes behind in 4th position.

Check out pictures from the race on Alison Hill Photography 

Lurig Challenge Cushendall 2010

Today as part of my Active Canaria promotion tour I ran the Lurig Challenge hill race in Cushendall. The 6km race was won by one of Ireland's biggest talents Joe McAllister of St Malachy's in 28.50 and I finished just over a minute behind in 3rd place. I was pleased with my performance as I have only been able to train a few times since the Mount Enta race earlier this month. Even though it was a short race it was one of the steepest ascents and descents I have ever raced on. Runners had to run to the top of Lurig Mountain (1100 feet) and then hurtle back down again into Cushendall.

More to come later...
If you want to see a photo of yourself from today check-out Alison Hill Photography, where you can purchase the digital file of your photo from as little as 99p (perfect for Facebook profiles). Online from tomorrow.

Grant and Stone High Wycombe Half Marathon 2010

With the choice of the Milton Keynes Half Marathon, the Swanage Half Marathon (which I was 3rd in last year) and the Grant and Stone High Wycombe Half Marathon I was spoilt for choice. Whilst I am in the UK I am based in Welywn Garden City, so I decided to run the High Wycombe Half Marathon and  am really glad that I did. Handy Cross Runners did an amazing job and it was truely one of the best organised road races I have ever run.

(PHOTO: Alison Hill)

As for my performance, well things started off OK. I was a little stiff and sore after Tuesday's orienteering in Stanborough and the Bamford Village Fell race on Wednesday certainly took its toll on my gluts. I was hitting my target splits for the first several kilometres, but after about 7miles I started to really suffer in my hips, especially in the down hill sections... I am putting this down the 5mile (1000 feet) fell race on Wednesday night.

At about 9 miles I heard a pitter patter of footsteps behind me... I thought 'that doesn't sound like a man' and I turned around to see Sarah Gee, one of Britain's best female marathon runners! My male ego jumped in and I sped up to try to stay in front of her, but this did not last for long! I was extremely impressed with her pace and even more so now after 'googling' her and looking at how she has improved from a PB of 89mins in 2004 to a PB of 75mins in 2010, and she is in her 40s!!

(PHOTO: Alison Hill)

I managed to finish quite strongly and finished in 6th place (5th male).

The race was won by Eddie O'Gorman in a time of 1:13:16 which was a very respectable time considering how undulating the course was. In second spot was John Herbert in 1:13:58 again a very good time (Herbert only took up running 18months ago).

Check out Active Canaria for great deals on winter training.

Bamford Village Fell Race

On Wednesday night I ran in the Bamford Village Fell race near Sheffield. Even though this is a small race it attracts some of the best fell runners in the country.

(PHOTO: Alison Hill)

The race is an 8km 'up and down' with 300m climb. I found the race difficult from the start, partly due to my training being a little sporadic since being back in the UK. However I enjoyed the race and finished in a respectable 7th place (31.00mins).

(PHOTO: Alison Hill)

Check out Active Canaria for great deals on winter training.

Gran Canaria's first Sprint Orienteering Race on Europe's most Southern Map

On Saturday 19th June new orienteering club O-riéntate and Active Canaria held Gran Canaria's first ever Sprint Race on Allan Bogle's new map (Gran Canaria's first ISSOM map and also Europe's most Southern orienteering map.

Although there were not as many competitors as was hoped (clashed with several other events) the day was
a great success for orienteering in Gran Canaria, bringing the level of organisation to 'a new level'.
Aside from the Principal race which consisted of a Prologue and Final, the organisers also held an event for beginners (Ven y Prueba- Come and try) and also a race for children.

The Prologue started at 10am from Faro 2 shopping centre in Maspalomas, with two runners starting at the same time and running different loops before punching a central control and then running their second loop. The fastest time in the Prologue was Fran Herandez in a time of 18.58, closely follow by Gran Canaria's resident Finn Mikka in a time of 20.55.
In the come-and-try event there were some very impressive times from new orienteers Alison Hill and Mike Kneeshaw (who would have placed very highly if they had ran the Principal race).

The final used a chasing start format with Fran starting first followed by Mikka. Fran had a very impressive final extending his lead to just under 5 minutes. Although making a few mistakes in the final Mikka was able to hold of Pedro who had an amazing final.

Circular de Tejeda

It has been a very long time since I have up-dated this Blog (I am sure not too many people have noticed), partly due to being very busy with work etc. and partly due being disappointed with my last race, Circular de Tejeda.

About one month ago I ran a race called Circular de Tejeda in Gran Canaria, which was a 38km trail race with alot of climb. From the beginning I was not on form and found the early (set by Ismael Molero Bethencourt) pace hard! Which was surprising as it was the perfect sort of race for me, steep climbs and rocky.

It was not long before Ismael opened at gap and I really had to struggle to keep him in eyes’ distance. However suddenly (around 15km) without realising it I was back together with him, we ran together for a few kilometres, however I found it difficult to hold my pace and started to drop back again. I found the next few kilometres very hard and started to cramp. To add to the misery I also took a wrong turning and ran about 500m in the wrong direction before realising that I made a mistake. When I got back on track I had been caught by the 3rd placed runner…and mentally I was defeated! I hobbled the next 5km, feeling really dehydrated and cramping badly. And if things weren’t bad enough I took another wrong turn (not my fault…the taping during this race was the worst I have ever seen)…and to cut ‘a long story short’…after several phone calls to the race organisers I could not understand where I was supposed to run and decided to drop out of the race and hitched a ride back with the red-cross. Not a good day…but a lovely course…

First ever ULTRA

On Saturday I ran my first ever Ultra Marathon*. For a long time I have wanted to test myself over this type of race, physically I knew I could complete the distance, however I was unsure if mentally I could (especially after the disappointment of the K42 last month).

(PHOTO: Alberto Cardona)

There was no particular reason why I choose Maraton del Norte (Marathon of the North) to be my first ultra, in fact I only completed my entry 3 days before the race. However it came at a time of the year when I did not have any other target races, and it also would give me the option of running next year’s Trans Gran Canaria (all entrants must have completed a race of 50km+ in the preceding 18months).
The race followed a 60km course through the mountains surrounding Arucas, Terror, Firgas and Valleseco and was a mixture of small trails, paths and roads. At the same time there was a mountain bike race taking place that started 15mins before the foot race and also a 30km race (bike and foot). As there was such a small entry in the 60km running race my goal for the race was not position orientated, I set myself the challenge of running 6hr30 (and I also, a bit arrogantly, decided that I wanted to beat some of the cyclists).
After missing the start of the race by one minute I had a faster than planned opening, but soon was in front of all the 60km and 30km runners. To help make me remember to hydrate properly I set my watch to beep every 15mins (something I will use again), and I also made sure I regular took onboard energy gels and bars.
After about 10km I started to see mountain bikes in the distance in front of me, I didn’t change my speed but I soon started to pick off the trailing cyclists (much to their disappointment). On some of the steep rocky trails mountain bikes find it difficult to find traction and it was easy to run faster than they could cycle.
The first half of the course was lovely, with breathe taking views over Valleseco, and the time flew by. After 1hr15 of running I asked one of the cyclist that I spotted had a Garmin (GPS) how far we had gone and he told me 16km, so I knew I was running faster than planned. However I was feeling good and decided to remain at the same pace. It was amusing when I passed spectators that thought they were watching a only a bike race, I told one old man that I had lost my bike!
The first 50km went by very quickly, and I reached 50km in about 4hours, however this is when my problems started. I came to a road junction and could not see any arrows or tapes marking the route, I started to run down a road that looked liked the obvious route, however after 2 or 3 minutes I realised I must have chosen the wrong road and had to retrace my steps. After remaining so composed up until this point, this mistake, lead to the first cracks. My 15minute reminder beeped from my watched and I ignored it, and carried on without drinking, this turned out to be a big mistake! At about 55km I could feel the signs of cramp in my legs, and still I didn’t drink! When I remembered to drink I didn’t think of adding some of my hydration salts, my cramp got worse and worse! With 2kms to go I started to walk, and the cramp eased off, I lent on a wall and stretched out the backs of my legs, this seems to make the cramps disappear and allowed me to continue for another few minutes before it returned. I was forced to continue this process for the rest of the race (walking, stretching, jogging, CRAMP, walking, stretching, jogging, CRAMP, walking, ...). My sprint finish must have looked very ungainly with my grimace and straight legs, however I did finish! 5hours 22 minutes, over 30 minutes in front of 2nd position. The last 10km had taken me 1hour 20 and were definitely the most painful kilometres I have ever run.
Once I crossed the finish line I hobbled to the physio and collapsed on the floor in severe pain, my muscles were visibly contorting below my skin! And all I could think of was when I could run my next Ultra Marathon.
*Ultra Marathon- any race over 42km, usually 50km and above.