Wednesday, September 3, 2014

UTMB-CCC race preparation

Hills are the only place to start when thinking about preparations for the CCC.  No other feature of the race, I would say even the distance, is as important as the hills you will face.  Your ability to cope on the hills, up and down, will determine the outcome of your race.

There are five major hills in the CCC.  The first and longest is within the initial 10km and it is about 1.4km of vertical.  The next is also within the first half of the race and is about 800m of vertical.  The remaining three, all involving less climbing than the first two hills, are in the last half of the race.  When you look at the elevation profile on the UTMB site, it sort of seems like these are five rolling hills – don’t be misled.

My experience only involved the first three hills, but I didn’t run very much of the uphills, nor did my fellow competitors around me. This was partly to conserve energy that would be required later on, but it also reflected the steepness of the slope.  The trail on these uphills was fairly technical, with some large unformed steps to climb over.

For the first two hills, the downhills were not an issue at all, with fairly gradual flowing descents.  There were some grassy slopes, which became muddy and slippery in my race, coming into the Swiss valleys.  But for the third hill (and I would say the fourth and the fifth) the downhill was also technical. It was difficult for me to run at this point, but I think even a top runner would have struggled to run smoothly on these descents.

This leads me to two conclusions.  First, train on as many hills as you can.  Make sure those hills are as steep and long as possible (within reason) – if you can run them, they are probably not steep enough.  This also means training the downhills and again the steeper the better. Really, for me anyway, this race was about fast-trekking for very long periods of time on steep hills, with the flats and the gentle downhills being almost irrelevant.

Second, get used to using trekking poles.  At least half of the competitors used them.  I had a pair of Black Diamond Ultra Distance poles and they were perfect for the job.  They made a considerable difference for me, not only uphill, but also downhill.  On uphills, they allowed me to recruit my upper body muscles to aid climbing and on the downhills they provided stability which allowed me to move more quickly.  I even used them in the relatively flat or easy sections as they allowed me to develop a rhythm and added stability.  I would say they made 10-15% difference as compared to running without poles.  However, this also meant my shoulders and triceps got a big workout, so I suggest incorporating upper body strengthening into your training.  Some runners used fingerless gloves, I think to avoid chafing on the hands from the pole straps, but that wasn’t an issue for me.  I found this site useful in learning how to use the poles.  The only problem I had was remembering not to leave the poles behind at aid stations!

I was certainly curious about the trails ahead of the race.  They are mainly single track, with a variety of technical (rocks, roots, scree, rutted sections etc), hard packed clay and grassy track.  It can be a bit hard to overtake runners, especially when they are using poles.  But I found pretty much everyone was polite and accommodating when I wanted to pass.  There were also 4WD tracks and some roads to navigate.  The organisers placed distinct ribbons at regular intervals, and spray painted arrows on roads, so it was actually quite straightforward to follow the route, even at night when you could see the ribbons as they had reflective tape on them.

I found there was a good spirit and polite and friendly decorum among runners during the race.  There isn’t a lot of conversation, everyone is pretty tired after the first hill, but there was a fair bit of encouragement particularly in the latter half of the event, when we were all just trying to finish. 

I used my old pair of Salomon Speedcross 3’s for the first half of the race and then changed them to my newer pair of the same model at Champex.  Putting on nice dry shoes (and socks) half way gave me a bit of a lift, but was also a risk mitigation tool as it gave me an alternative if the first pair of shoes was causing me problems.  I find the Speedcross 3’s excellent when it gets muddy and slippery and that was a feature of the 2014 race.  I think you do need a robust set of trail shoes, given the amount of technical trail involved, although there were some sandal and barefoot runners participating.

I have a Salomon 12l running pack, with an internal 1.5l bladder.  The bladder is difficult to fill and, when filled, takes up too much space in the pack for an event like this with so much compulsory gear.  I used two Raidlight 750ml bottles with a flexible valve, which I placed in the pockets on the front straps.  Most runners seemed to be using bottles in the front.  With a little skill you could drink from the valve while still using the poles and they’re easy to fill at aid stations.   

I also think it would be a good idea to do some of your training at night.  I didn’t do this, but I think there are two reasons why it’s worth doing.  First is to get used to the psychological challenge of running when tired and unable to see beyond the beam of your lamp.  I find it hard to assess how significant this was to my race, but it definitely played a part.  Second, get used to using the lamp, the feel of it on your head, fitting it over a beanie, etc.  I used a Petzl Nao and it was very good, casting a strong beam, and was comfortable on my head.  I also had a Petzl E+Lite as my back up, which was tiny but effective if required in case the Nao failed.

I used one of the GPS devices that were available from Nexxtep at the expo.  The devices are about the size of a small cellphone and could be tucked in to the top of my pack.  This allowed my supporters to follow my progress around the course online, which they loved and it became compulsory viewing for those who couldn’t be there in person.  The SMS service is also very helpful for your supporters, particularly those meeting you at Champex as they provide a pretty accurate prediction of your arrival time at each aid station.

It never really got very cold in the 2014 race.  My base layer was a 150gm Icebreaker vest, changing into a similar weight Icebreaker T-shirt at Champex.  These tops are merino wool, which are comfortable even on warm days.  Plus they are a great New Zealand product, so I’m pleased to promote them.  I used arm warmers during the day and rolled them down when it got hotter and up when it got colder. I had a 200gm Icebreaker top for when the temperature dropped at the higher points of the race and as the sun came down.  I changed to a 260gm top at Champex, which was heavier than required this year.

If you have a supporter that will go to Champex to meet you, it is a great idea.  It obviously lifts your spirits to see them, but they can also carry a change of clothing, additional food, little treats etc.  There are no drop bags allowed for the CCC, like there is for the UTMB.  The Champex aid station is very accommodating for these supporters (with only one being allowed per runner).  There is a bus that shuttles supporters between Chamonix and Champex.  This takes about 90 mins to Orsieres, connecting to a 30 mins bus trip to Champex, so it takes a bit of organisation for your supporters.

The aid stations were good and people were very helpful there.  Language barriers were not really any problem.  Water was easily available and a selection of foods.  I moved as quickly as I could through the aid stations.  I used the mandatory cup for soup and then supped that as I started again on the trail.  I took cheese and salami, oranges, bars – any real food that I could to avoid having to dip into my gels – again eating these on the first 300m or so after the aid station or stashing them away until later.

I do wonder whether altitude played a part in my difficulties in consuming food in the later stages of the race.  This is speculation, but it may be that more time acclimatising in the mountains would have been beneficial for me.  I arrived in Chamonix two days before the race.

For me, blisters on my feet were a substantial issue.  I haven’t yet figured out how to prevent this happening, but this is something you should consider as my shoes and socks got quite damp, even on a pretty mild day.

Leading up to the event, I was hungry for information about the CCC or UTMB, the possible conditions, what you should and shouldn’t wear, the trail etc.  I found the personal videos produced by runners in previous years to be helpful.  These can be found on YouTube etc.  I examined them for any and all clues for what to expect.  The shots of the start line were interesting, as that allowed you to survey what a number of other runners that year were wearing, the types of packs they wore, how they dealt with their poles, etc.  Here’s a link to my video.

By the way, I used a Sony TX30, which takes good quality videos and is small, robust and easy to stack in my pack.  I saw some guys carrying Go-pros and more at the finish carrying them through to the finish line (probably picking them up from their supporters on the way in).

On the finish, it was wonderful to see runners coming in with their family and supporters.  Clearly the organisers allow, and probably encourage, this.  I saw some runners coming in with six to eight supporters.  Lots of kids being held in the arms of runners, with their partners running alongside filming the finish, etc.  Prime your supporters to be waiting for you in positions leading up to the finish (say 200m or so out) and then all of you join together in celebrating the finish.  It’s a magical moment, so just go for it, throw away all inhibitions and let it all hang out.

I found surprisingly few sources of helpful information about this race on the web.  There are a lot of reports of the top runners but, interesting as they are, their experiences had little significance for me.  Two sources stood out for me (both from irunfar.com):


My race report is here for some further background.

If this is your first long ultra, I would also refer to the Western States site on race preparation, which I think is one of the best sources of credible information around (even though it’s a different race).

Finally, the assistance and support of a great coach and a great massage therapist was indispensible for me.  James Kuegler, at Cadence, provided me with just the programme I needed to prepare as well as I possibly could for the race.  James allowed me to build up sensibly for this race and had me on occasion running less than I wanted to, but that contributed to keeping me sane and largely injury free in the run up to the event.  Rob Matthews, MBE, ironed out the knots in my muscles, which was I think essential for body maintenance in getting ready for an event like this, as well as ample amusement.

Footnote: I successfully finished the CCC in 2018. It can be done! Here's the post.


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