2010 A running oddity

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

I posted here about the truly epic 2008 race, I don’t know if
anybody ever read it.

Certainly did BB. I still have nightmares about it.

I can tell you what I think about when I'm running... mostly it's about not running. Or else it's about those precious moments when everything clicks into gear and running becomes pure unadulterated joy ... and wondering if I'll ever feel it again.

[Bierzo Baggie]

It wasn’t a bad summer running-wise. Managed to average a couple of runs a week. Not bad as it’s generally too hot for most physical activity here in July and August.

One race to report, my third visit to the ramshackle little village of Morla on August 22nd. The previous visits were in 2007 and 2008. The race descriptions describe the route and the atmosphere.

This year was more of the same.

It was an oppressively hot day. The temperature was 32º at the start where a meagre but enthusiastic field of 60 or so mingled in front of the village church. Meanwhile the organizer enjoyed his moment of glory with the loudspeaker. We set off underneath fiesta bunting strung across narrow alleys and headed out towards the badlands. The first km was flat and slightly downhill in places. Kicking up clouds of red dust on the way we must have resembled a multicoloured herd of wildebeest migrating across a still, baking savannah. Or maybe not...

Clocked 4:10 for the first km, way too fast but it was reassuring to know I could still run at that pace. For one km.

As the path turned upwards the gradient steepened and I began to gulp and wheeze. The heat seemed to have consumed vast quantities of oxygen.. is that possible? By the end of km 2 I was walking and felt much more comfortable, even overtaking a couple of the diehards who were determined to run to the top. They soon overtook me again as the gradient eased off.

Re-engaged running mode just before km 4 as we crowned the highest point of the circuit. The descent was over a crude trail of sharp stones and rock, rather like running down a firebreak. Then it flattened out and we ran through meadows of parched yellow grass. Ran out of gas by km 7 and ended up walking much of the last 2 k. Wild Oscar passed me having made better “heat-pace-distance” calculations.

At the post-race prize givings Gus the lottery man was given the leg of ham. Chatted to the small wiry man from La Bañeza who had finished the UTMB last year. I hadn’t realized that his partner that weekend had been the lone mountain runner who’d disappeared on the Aquilianos one day last March.

9km, 54 minutes and fairly dehydrated at the end but happy to be part of the unique Morla experience once again.

[marathondan]

One for the future, BB?

The writer's performance is nothing short of remarkable as well -- 18st to a 3:30 trail marathon in 12 months.

[Bierzo Baggie]

Thanks Dan. Love running in the snow but would never go all the way to Greenland just to run a race. Hey, I can’t even get to Almeria.

It’s the Dragoman race on Sunday and we might get a bit of snow towards the finish.
http://www.runningcommentary.net/forum/s...p?tid=1771
And talking about remarkable this year it’s in memory of Dragofinisher Julian Bernal. In his final wordly season he smashed both the mile and the indoor 3000m world records in the over 90s catagory, both by over 3 minutes!

Here he is outside the castle of Villafranca last year. It’s a bizarre little photo. Basurko the ultra running butcher is dressed as superman and Cristóbal Halffter the classical composer and his concert pianist wife seem to be asking themselves how they ever opened up their castle to this madness.

11am on Sunday, enter the dragon once more....

[marathondan]

Good luck mate. Hope it's picturesque weather. Let us know how you get on.

[Bierzo Baggie]

November 28th El Dragoman.

Which were the greatest world records of all time?

Bob Beamon’s mighty Mexico City leap?
Sebastian Coe’s 800m? (nearly 30 years later and still a UK record)
Paula Ratcliffe’s 2:15 marathon?
Usain Bolt’s 100m?

I’d certainly add Julian Bernal’s masters over 85s 3000m indoor record to the above list. He smashed the world record by over 3 minutes for fcuk’s sake.

I could also make a case for Bernal’s over 90s world mile record set in Burgos last year but this was technically a road race and isn’t officially listed @ http://www.world-masters-athletics.org/records . He still broke the record though and pretty convincingly.

The Dragoman this year paid tribute to the late, great Julian Bernal, drago-finisher in the last two editions. He also made occasional appearances in my running diary.
Extraordinary fellow.

The Race:

As last year, we started from the chilly castle courtyard. It took me nearly a minute to emerge through the castle door. Then we ran through the village of Villafranca where I overtook Bernal’s son who is appropriately named “Jesus”. I nodded my appreciation. He passed me his camera. Not one to foresake a man named Jesus I spent the next 500m jogging backwards trying to figure out how the thing worked. Ended up shooting a video.

A 3km detour took us to the start of the big, big climb, 5km with 500m ascent, a constant gradient of 10% . Chugged up at a conservative pace and for the first time I managed to run all the way. But over certain gradients a slow run is not necessarily faster than a swift walk and my time was certainly slower than the previous 2 years. It was nice to reach the village of Dragonte with some fuel in the tank though. Stretched the legs a bit and managed to reach my Aquilianos partner, cake-boy and once again we finished together.

Great event, it just gets better every year. There was even a mini-dragoman the day before where my daughter Lara took part in her first ever race.

Photos: Lara with her medal and one I took of Julian Bernal in the 2008 Dragoman. This year was considerably less snowy.

[Antonio247]

Congratulations, BB and Lara.

Congratulations for the good race, report and homage to Julián Bernal.

It seems that Lara is going to be a very good runner.

Saludos desde Almería

Antonio

[Bierzo Baggie]

Finished the year with probably less than 700km in my shoes for 2010. If this is correct it'll be my lowest yearly total since I was, like, 12.

Met my uncle at Church Stretton, Shropshire, for the Morning After fell run on January 1. This is the third year I've done this race and it's a nice way to start the year.

Happy new year everyone!