Mátrahegy trail event
So I did run in the mountains, but that meant more walking and hiking than real running. I enjoyed rushing downhill, though :)
Luckily (or sadly?) the Pina Colada we wanted to drink Friday night had a weird aftertaste (it was old I guess) , so we ended up having just a couple glasses of pineapple juice with a dash of Blue Curacao liquor. However, we stayed up until 2 am chatting and tidying Szilvi's house and when wen finally went to bed, her stupid colleagues kept calling her.... The alarm went off at 4:40 and I jumped out of bed so that I didn't fall back to sleep. Got dressed quickly, tucked two packets of cookies and two bananas in my bag, and hurried to the bus stop. It was well below freezing, so I was very cold and realized I had packed two thin tech shirts and a very light windbreaker only, with thin long tights....
Fast forward : took the bus into the city, bought a bagel and a Gatorade, buddy picked me up and we drove to the start. It was an hour drive only, The start was in a school building where we spent about 40minutes getting into running gear, chatting, and finally started at 8:40am, last among the 40Kers.(official start was from 7 to 8)
The first few kilometers we ran together, but buddy soon decided he could run more and faster so I let him go. Until about the third of the distance the course wasn't too demanding with only two major uphills and a tad technical downhill with tons of rocks. Then a long uphill stretch started to Galyatető summit (one of our highest peaks) and we soon encountered snow world. It was really pretty and not too hard, although some parts were icy and slippery while others were getting muddy from hundreds of feet tromping on the soil. Little mountain creeks had formed as the snow had already started to melt a couple days earlier, but the previous day witnessed freezing temps, so some of them were half-frozen, crunchy and sparkling, while the water was still flowing beneath.
The snowy part was hard but lovely and just when I was getting moody, the next checkpoint popped up in front of me. A nice elderly man stamped my card and offered water. After he had filled my bottle he mentioned he had wine too....aaargh He could have said that earlier.
It was a peak so the next part was easy to guess: downhill. Part snow, part rocks, part mud... FUN! I tried to take photos with my mobile phone along the course, but for some reason, only the two from this part were there in the memory when I uploaded them...
From Magyarország, Mátra-hegység
From Magyarország, Mátra-hegység
From Magyarország, Mátra-hegység
Okay, so those are three not two, anyway :)
The rest of the course was constant rolling hills, steep uphills and short downhills one after the other. The best checkpoint was in a roadside inn at Parádsasvár, a town famous for its medicinal springwater, where we could comfortably sit down and got lovely sandwiches. I treated myself to a glass of Coke with red wine. Best long-distance drink ever!
The next ten kilometers really flew by, then the course entered winter territory again and we found ourselves hiking up a pretty steep hill in snow and ice. The climb to our highest peak, Kékes, seemed endless, but the top of the TV tower soon appeared in the distance and within minutes there I was standing next to the big "peak" stone. The restaurant served as checkpoint and they gave out hot tea and apples which was nice! I filled my bottle and continued my way which meant the final loooong downhill(~6K) to the finish. I wrote about this trail last summer here
The first part was in snow, but then it changed into half dry and half icy soil, loose rocks, creeks and even muddy patches. I ran as fast as I could and managed to fall once (but that was a big one!), enjoyed the ride, but have to admit I was glad to spot the houses and within minutes I stepped into the building and got my card stamped 9 hours 9minutes from the start.
The time is ridiculous compared to my plans, but quite stellar on so little sleep and not enough food. I'm so stupid! This is something I need to learn once and for all that these so-called "endurance hikes" are different from running races. The checkpoints don't necessarily provide fuel and even if they do, it's just water and some crackers, bites of chocolate, raisins and stuff like that. Usually they give out some real food at the finish, like sausages, soup or sandwiches, or even at around halfway if the course is a long one, but people are expected to bring their food. I only had a small bagel and three cookies in the morning, then a banana before the start, another packet of three cookies at around 15K, two slices of bread with lard and onions at the halfway point, a banana around 30K and that's all. Add a bottle of diluted Gatorade, a bottle of water and two glasses of tea. I don't think that's enough food to keep my 123lb body going for 9 hours even if only hiking and not all running...
The next day my ankle was messed up a bit, but that's no news. My quads are still a tad tight, so stretching will happen tonight.
Luckily (or sadly?) the Pina Colada we wanted to drink Friday night had a weird aftertaste (it was old I guess) , so we ended up having just a couple glasses of pineapple juice with a dash of Blue Curacao liquor. However, we stayed up until 2 am chatting and tidying Szilvi's house and when wen finally went to bed, her stupid colleagues kept calling her.... The alarm went off at 4:40 and I jumped out of bed so that I didn't fall back to sleep. Got dressed quickly, tucked two packets of cookies and two bananas in my bag, and hurried to the bus stop. It was well below freezing, so I was very cold and realized I had packed two thin tech shirts and a very light windbreaker only, with thin long tights....
Fast forward : took the bus into the city, bought a bagel and a Gatorade, buddy picked me up and we drove to the start. It was an hour drive only, The start was in a school building where we spent about 40minutes getting into running gear, chatting, and finally started at 8:40am, last among the 40Kers.(official start was from 7 to 8)
The first few kilometers we ran together, but buddy soon decided he could run more and faster so I let him go. Until about the third of the distance the course wasn't too demanding with only two major uphills and a tad technical downhill with tons of rocks. Then a long uphill stretch started to Galyatető summit (one of our highest peaks) and we soon encountered snow world. It was really pretty and not too hard, although some parts were icy and slippery while others were getting muddy from hundreds of feet tromping on the soil. Little mountain creeks had formed as the snow had already started to melt a couple days earlier, but the previous day witnessed freezing temps, so some of them were half-frozen, crunchy and sparkling, while the water was still flowing beneath.
The snowy part was hard but lovely and just when I was getting moody, the next checkpoint popped up in front of me. A nice elderly man stamped my card and offered water. After he had filled my bottle he mentioned he had wine too....aaargh He could have said that earlier.
It was a peak so the next part was easy to guess: downhill. Part snow, part rocks, part mud... FUN! I tried to take photos with my mobile phone along the course, but for some reason, only the two from this part were there in the memory when I uploaded them...
From Magyarország, Mátra-hegység
From Magyarország, Mátra-hegység
From Magyarország, Mátra-hegység
Okay, so those are three not two, anyway :)
The rest of the course was constant rolling hills, steep uphills and short downhills one after the other. The best checkpoint was in a roadside inn at Parádsasvár, a town famous for its medicinal springwater, where we could comfortably sit down and got lovely sandwiches. I treated myself to a glass of Coke with red wine. Best long-distance drink ever!
The next ten kilometers really flew by, then the course entered winter territory again and we found ourselves hiking up a pretty steep hill in snow and ice. The climb to our highest peak, Kékes, seemed endless, but the top of the TV tower soon appeared in the distance and within minutes there I was standing next to the big "peak" stone. The restaurant served as checkpoint and they gave out hot tea and apples which was nice! I filled my bottle and continued my way which meant the final loooong downhill(~6K) to the finish. I wrote about this trail last summer here
The first part was in snow, but then it changed into half dry and half icy soil, loose rocks, creeks and even muddy patches. I ran as fast as I could and managed to fall once (but that was a big one!), enjoyed the ride, but have to admit I was glad to spot the houses and within minutes I stepped into the building and got my card stamped 9 hours 9minutes from the start.
The time is ridiculous compared to my plans, but quite stellar on so little sleep and not enough food. I'm so stupid! This is something I need to learn once and for all that these so-called "endurance hikes" are different from running races. The checkpoints don't necessarily provide fuel and even if they do, it's just water and some crackers, bites of chocolate, raisins and stuff like that. Usually they give out some real food at the finish, like sausages, soup or sandwiches, or even at around halfway if the course is a long one, but people are expected to bring their food. I only had a small bagel and three cookies in the morning, then a banana before the start, another packet of three cookies at around 15K, two slices of bread with lard and onions at the halfway point, a banana around 30K and that's all. Add a bottle of diluted Gatorade, a bottle of water and two glasses of tea. I don't think that's enough food to keep my 123lb body going for 9 hours even if only hiking and not all running...
The next day my ankle was messed up a bit, but that's no news. My quads are still a tad tight, so stretching will happen tonight.