Το ταξίδι του Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc

Το 2009 ξεκίνησε ένα ταξίδι εξερεύνησης των ορίων μου με την συμμετοχή στον πρώτο μου ορεινό αγώνα 100 μιλίων. Ήταν το UTMB του 2009 που είχα την τύχη να το συν-τρέξω με τον φίλο μου Δημήτρη Μπεζά κάτω από καλές καιρικές συνθήκες για τέτοιου είδους αγώνα. Στόχος ήταν ένας: Να ζήσουμε την διαδρομή και την μεγαλοπρέπεια των συγκεκριμένων βουνών και να φτάσουμε στον τερματισμό.

Τα καταφέραμε τότε! Καταφέραμε και αποκομίσαμε ότι θέλαμε να πάρουμε από αυτή την εμπειρία. Πήραμε και κάτι που δεν το περιμέναμε: Το κίνητρο να δοκιμάσουμε ξανά και ξανά σε νέα μέρη τις δυνάμεις μας και την όρεξή μας. Αυτές οι εμπειρίες είναι που μας διαμορφώνουν (πάντα υπάρχει κάτι να διαμορφωθεί...) σαν χαρακτήρες.

Φέτος η χρονιά ξεκίνησε με μία "ζαριά". Η πρώτη αφορούσε το κατά πόσο θα μας "βοηθήσει" η τύχη στην κλήρωση για το UTMB (μαζί με τον φίλο και συν-δρομέα Νίκο Πετρόπουλο) και η δεύτερη ζαριά αφορούσε το κατά πόσο θα έχω ξεπεράσει το "κληροδότημα" από το σοβαρό ατύχημά μου στην Ροδόπη. Οι γιατροί είχαν πει για 12μήνο αποθεραπείας για την χτυπημένη μέση μου. Και εγώ έκανα σχέδια για αγώνα ζόρικο στο 9μηνο. Η πρώτη ζαριά μας "έκατσε"! Όλη η καλή παρέα θα βρεθεί την Τετάρτη 27 Αυγούστου στο αεροπλάνο για την Γενεύη. Και έχω μάθει ότι οι παρέες κάνουν τις εμπειρίες πολύ καλύτερες από το να τις ζεις σαν μονάδα.

Μένει να δούμε την δεύτερη ζαριά αν θα αποδειχτεί "καλή". 2840χλμ έχω τρέξει μέσα σε αυτούς τους 8 μήνες και καθ' οδών για τα βουνά του UTMB. 57.000μ αθροιστικής ανηφόρας από τον Μάιο μέχρι αυτή τη στιγμή έχω ανεβοκατέβει. Εγκατέλειψα και δύο προσπάθειες λόγω ενοχλήσεων στη μέση μου (Ψάθα-Αέθλειος) γιατί έκρινα ότι το να διαλυθώ δεν εξυπηρετεί κάτι στην προσπάθειά μου να είμαι καλά στην γραμμή εκκίνησης του Chamonix. 287 ώρες τρέξιμο (δεν υπολογίζω τις ώρες πάνω στην  σέλα του ποδηλάτου μου) μέσα σε αυτό το 8μηνο. Αριθμοί που δεν θα είχαν ιδιαίτερη αξία αν δεν είχα διασκεδάσει κάθε μέτρο και κάθε λεπτό. Πάντως δεν πιστεύω στην τύχη, αλλά στην προετοιμασία!

Όλα καλά λοιπόν. Με παρέα και υγιής στην γραμμή του Chamonix, στην σκιά του γίγαντα με τους παγετώνες του. Ελπίζω ο καιρός να μην είναι τέτοιος που θα αλλάξει τα σχέδια των διοργανωτών. Τα υπόλοιπα δεν με νοιάζουν, καθώς το βουνό έχει την χάρη του ακόμα και "τσαντισμένο".

Θα ήθελα να μην περάσω δεύτερο βράδυ στην πορεία μου για το Chamonix. Θα το προσπαθήσω αλλά οι καλύτερες οπτασίες έρχονται μετά τις 30 ώρες! Απλά τις είδα μια φορά και νομίζω ότι φτάνει!

Θα τρέξω με τον εξοπλισμό της UltrAspire που μας εμπιστεύθηκε σαν χορηγός. Αξιόπιστο και ελαφρύ σακίδιο πλάτης UltrAspire Revolution και στην μέση την MBS ζώνη Electron+Quark. Θα έχω και μπατόν (είπαμε για την μέση...) τα πανάλαφρα Black Diamond Z-Poles και ένα δεύτερο μπουκάλι Simple Hydration. Η τροφοδόσια ως επί το πλείστων με υδατάνθρακες σε υγρή μορφή και στερεά τροφή στους σταθμούς.

Πλάνο και στόχος επιδόσεων δεν υπάρχει, πέραν του ότι θα ήθελα να αποφύγω το δεύτερο βράδυ στο βουνό.

Ένα μεγάλο ευχαριστώ πάει στην Ελπίδα μου που με άντεξε τόσο στα δύσκολα μετά το ατύχημα όσο και στα "μανιώδη" μου όταν έτρεχα ώρες ατελείωτες. Με βοηθάει να πάω πιο μακρυά.

Τα λέμε ξανά μετά την επιστροφή. Πιστεύω ότι το ταξίδι που ξεκίνησε το 2009, θα ολοκληρωθεί αυτές τις μέρες και θα αφήσω πίσω μου τα σχετικά με το UTMB για αρκετά χρόνια. Έχει γίνει αρκετά πολυπληθές πλέον.

Υ.Γ.: Πάντα θα θέλουμε να έχουμε κάνει κάτι περισσότερο. Λίγο περισσότερη ταχύτητα, λίγα κιλά πιο κάτω να έδειχνε η ζυγαριά. Οτιδήποτε. Αλλά η ουσία παραμένει. Έκανα αυτό που ήθελα να κάνω και όχι μόνο αυτό που έπρεπε να κάνω. Το "θέλω" μου είναι πιο σημαντικό από το "πρέπει". Γιατί μην ξεχνάμε: ΚΑΝΟΥΜΕ ΚΑΤΙ ΠΟΥ ΜΑΣ ΑΡΕΣΕΙ. Κανείς δεν μας υποχρεώνει και είναι αυτό που θα συνεχίσω να κάνω και μετά το UTMB.

Parnassos Trail 2014 - A fast race!

This is one of my favourite trail races in Greece. It has a good mix of leg torturing uphills, technical trails, a unique scree downhill and beautiful landscapes. The distance (24k) and the elevation (1440m) are such that a fast "all out" run is possible without wrecking the body.

Heading to the start line my view of this race was to give a good effort given the circumstances (this is not a key race for me) and test my legs mostly atthe fast downhill part.

I am happy that after the race I can say that I have improved my personal best by more than 4 minutes on this course. Finishing 4th overall was a good indication that I am doing ok. 6 out of the top 7 runners were 40+ years old. Including myself. And this race had a quality field for men. This is a bit alarming for the dedication to the sport by younger runners. Even in the top 10 I think there were 8 runner in the 40+ category.
The organization of the race is top notch and the marking is excellent. Anyone enjoying trail running in Greece should keep this race in their calendar.
Had a really good time with my friend Nikos Petropoulos, and enjoyed the post race meal and drinks!

Post race I can say that legs feel fine, and I have no pain or problems. Getting ready for the real big thing in my life, which is my wedding next weekend to Elpida Kourtzi.
Good times!

Equipment used:

• Shoes: The North Face Ultra Guide
• Race belt: Ultra Aspire MBS
• Race Bottle: Ultra Aspire Human 8
• Tracker: Sony Xperia Z1 Compact + Endomondo

A trail race with a historic background: Efialtes trail 2014 (Anopaia Atrapos)

This is a trail race that I had in my sight for several years. But every time something was keeping my away from the starting line. So this was the time to do it.

Equipment used in this race: Shoes, Pearl Izumi EM-N1 Waist Belt, Ultra Aspire MBS+Quark Bottle, Ultra Aspire Human 8

Just after a month from my spring marathon and with limited trail time on my legs, I was happy to be in this race taking place on the unique historic trail through which Efialtes is supposed to have led the Persian army at the back of the Spartans who were defending the Thermopyles pass. The race is mostly downhill on technical terrain and there are many chances to sprain an ankle. The start is uphill through forest road initially and trails later on. But the last 10kms are all downhill taking runners from an alt of 1100m to almost sea level.

Even though this was not a key race for me, and the distance is quite short for my taste, I tried to push a lot from the start, and test my body against the fatigue from the training sessions I am having recently in preparation for the 180kms ultra run (Aethlios) that I am having in less than two weeks time. It worked out well. I was close to the leader throughout the uphill part and fell behind in third place at the downhill part, but not too far behind. I finished third overall in a field of more than 220 runners and happy for my effort. Also very happy that my legs were still in one piece after the brutal downhill. Quads were just a bit heavy after race, but that was all.

Time to slow down now in my tapering period before the Aethlios ultra on 16th of May.

Rotterdam Marathon 2014 - Back in action!

This was my second visit to Rotterdam for the well known city marathon. It was back in 2010 the first time and it was then that I broke the 3hrs mark for the first time in my running days. This year was also special in some ways for me. It is just 6 months after my serious injury - accident that affected my back and kept me almost 2 months out of any kind of training. My preparation for the marathon started mid January and had to fight with some pains at my back as well as my demanding daily (and many times weekends as well) work schedule. Since I follow my own protocol in preparation for the marathon, and I do it every time for the past several years, I could tell from start that even though my endurance was still there, I was not as fast as I used to be. My accident has affected posture and technique. Main objective was to get my motivation up and enjoy this period as much as possible. I also tried to stick to my protocol with the intervals and long runs without overloading my schedule. from start it was obvious that i was about 4-6 secs slower for my 1000m reps. I kept my focus on my running form and kept any bad thoughts out of the way.

When I stood at the starting line, I knew that my best possible time for this marathon would be in 2:43 and change to 2:47 and change. I started with a nice weather and kept a comfortable pace for the first 15kms. I was running in the area of 3:49/km even though the wind was slowing us down in some segments. This was a nice pace for me. Crossed the 1/2 marathon in just over 1:21. I kept going at more or less the same pace till the 34th km. Then I decided to give it a try for the fastest limit that I knew i could achieve. My legs were fine and still had juice left in them. But just a few hundred meters after I had this thought, a tightness at my right hamstring made me reconsider. There were still 7kms to the finish line. A muscle injury at this point would become much worst if I kept pushing it for 7kms. So I decided to slow down just enough to feel comfy till the finish. And so I did. I kept going at a 4:10/km pace till 2kms before the finish. I picked up the pace a bit when I was close to the finish and there was no risk. I was happy to see the 2:45 on the stopwatch when I crossed the finish line. 1 minute slower than my PB and the same as last year in Boston (which I consider as my best marathon considering the difficulty of the Boston course).

After the race I recovered very fast. Legs are back in shape with just a day of rest after the race. And looking forward for the next race!

Προβολή όλων

Αποκτήστε τον δικό σας

"Postman" marathon 2014 - Tzoumerka. 42kms / 1250m of ascent road race.

It was a fair organization. The rout was well designed, support was where was needed without luxuries but with all needed by a runner. Finish line was friendly and we had a all we needed there as well. Roads were safe all the way. We were also lucky with the weather which can be very tricky in these areas. Overall I think it was a good organization and a unique concept race. I will do it again in the future. I think times can go down to 3:10.

Ορεινό τρέξιμο και ανάπτυξη της γυναικείας παρουσίας στην Ελλάδα

Παρατηρούσα αυτές τις μέρες τα στοιχεία από το ορεινό τρέξιμο στην Ελλάδα και μου έκανε εντύπωση η δυσανάλογη παρουσία του γυναικείου φύλου σε αυτή τη κατηγορία αγώνων. Για να μην παρεξηγούμε: Η συμμετοχή των γυναικών είναι αναλογικά μικρή και στους αγώνες δρόμου, ανεξάρτητα από απόσταση.

Στις "δημοφιλείς" αποστάσεις 10-15-21χλμ οι γυναίκες στην Ελλάδα αντιστοιχούν περίπου στο 16% των συμμετοχών των δρομέων (δρομικές εκδηλώσεις και όχι αγώνες βουνού). Αντίστοιχα, με βάση τα στοιχεία της σειράς αγώνων Skyrunning στην Ελλάδα, οι γυναίκες το 2013 ήταν στο 6% του συνόλου (60 συμμετοχές επί συνόλου 1012!). Ακόμα και στο επίπεδο των πιο αφοσιωμένων δρομέων (που συμμετείχαν σε 3 ή περισσότερους αγώνες), το ποσοστό παραμένει στο 7%! Λαμβάνοντας υπόψη και τις μικρές αποστάσεις, με βάση τα στοιχεία του Advendure, το ποσοστό πέρυσι έφτασε το 10%...

Αν υπάρχει μία "δεξαμενή" προσέλκυσης νέων δρομέων στους ορεινούς αγώνες τρεξίματος, αυτή είναι σίγουρα των γυναικών, αφού αν απλά φτάσει το (ήδη χαμηλό) ποσοστό συμμετοχής των δρομικών εκδηλώσεων, θα μιλάμε για 100+ νέες συμμετοχές! Φυσικά ακόμα και στους αγώνες δρόμου, οι συμμετοχές γυναικών στην χώρα μας υστερούν σημαντικά από οποιαδήποτε Ευρωπαϊκή χώρα, όπου τα ποσοστά ξεπερνούν το 25% στις αποστάσεις που προανέφερα. Σε αποστάσεις μικρότερες των 10χλμ στην Ευρώπη, οι συμμετοχές των γυναικών είναι σχεδόν μοιρασμένες με τις ανδρικές.

Σε αυτή τη λογική πρέπει οι διοργανωτές να αντιμετωπίζουν δίκαια και τις γυναικείες συμμετοχές. Παρατηρώ ότι οι βραβεύσεις των καλύτερων γυναικών υστερούν από τις αντίστοιχες των ανδρών. Και σε σειρά εμφάνισης (που κανονικά για λόγους ευγένειας, θα έπρεπε να προηγούνται), αλλά και σε έπαθλα - δώρα. Στο εφετινό πρωτάθλημα Skyrunning στην χώρα μας τα δώρα των γυναικών ήταν υποδεέστερα από αυτά των ανδρών. Ο πρώτος άνδρας κέρδισε ταξίδι με όλα τα έξοδα πληρωμένα στο εξωτερικό, ένα δεύτερο ταξίδι, επίσης στο εξωτερικό, κληρώθηκε μεταξύ των 10 πρώτων (ανδρών...) ενώ η γυναίκα κέρδισε δωρεάν συμμετοχές στους αγώνες της σειράς στην Ελλάδα για την επόμενη σεζόν! Το σωστό έπαθλο μπορεί να είναι κίνητρο για πολλές ικανές κυρίες...

Η ανάπτυξη των αθλημάτων είναι βασικότατη ευθύνη όλων των διοργανωτών. Το ορεινό τρέξιμο δεν είναι σεξιστικό άθλημα. Σε πολλούς μεγάλους διεθνείς αγώνες οι γυναίκες συναγωνίζονται δίπλα δίπλα με τους άνδρες. Φυσικά αυτό δεν έγινε "εν μία νυχτί", ούτε επειδή εκεί οι γυναίκες είναι "καλύτερες", αλλά μέσα από διαδικασίες ισοδύναμης ανάπτυξης των συμμετοχών και στα δύο φύλα. Ας το σκεφτούμε λίγο για το μέλλον. Και να είστε σίγουροι ότι οι γυναικείες παρουσίες στους αγώνες προσελκύουν πλέον ολόκληρες οικογένειες και δίνουν ένα άλλο χρώμα στους αγώνες. Αυτά, για να μην τρέχουμε "μεταξύ" μας οι αξύριστοι.

How I hacked my Garmin 310XT to last 37+ hours!

I am a runner with a preference for the really long runs. Kind of runs that last 20+ hours. So I have always been annoyed by the limited battery life of all GPS sport watches. The best battery life I have heard so far for a GPS watch is in the area of 20 hours. And I wouldn't like to be without it in the last stages of a race that goes on for 24 or 28 hours. But that is what is happening.

I have a Garmin 310XT GPS watch since 2009. This is a nice piece of equipment, that is quite reliable and providing about 18 hours of operation on a single charge. Unfortunately after these 18 hours I have to plug it using the bulky connector to a power source and it takes a couple of hours to recharge.

For my short runs I always go with my iPhone which is just fine for up to 5hours of activity recording. I like having a phone with me since I am a trail runner. So why bother carrying two devices. Bottom line is that in the last two years I have used the 310XT only a handful of times and this 300+ euros device was sitting at the back of a self almost forgotten.

I was racing a 100 miles trail running event in England last July and since it is fashionable there to run on unmarked courses, I was in desperate need for a GPS to assist me in my navigation for over 24 hours. One option was to use my eTrex Hcx with AA batteries that lasts for about 22 hours and change batteries somewhere in the middle of the race. But then I saw that 310XT on the self. I like hacking things. So I thought of opening the watch to see what kind of battery is using. Caution: This is an operation that has several risks especially for those who are not inclined to this kind of tech tricks.

The Garmin opens at the connection of the top metal grey and the mid rubber part of the case. I used a blade to open it with caution so that I would not scratch the case or damage the plastic parts. It was not such a big task and minutes after the watch was wide open. I removed the LCD screen (it is connected to the motherboard with a wide cable band) Then I removed the motherboard. The GPS sensor/antenna, is located at the lower part of the case, just under and between the two button labeled "reset" and "stop". This is a useful observation, since I need to know which part of the case must be facing up with no interference towards the sky in order to lock the satellites.

Just under the motherboard I saw the battery. It is a simple Li-ion 700mAh battery, that was not so difficult to locate at an online battery-store for just 23,49 euros. The battery is similar to the one of older Garmin Forunner 305 model. Keep in mind that it does not fit the dimensions of the 310XT in case someone gets the idea to replace the battery with a new one (because batteries are failing after 3 years usually). But it is the same battery according to the tech specs.

So I got the idea that I could add a second external battery to the 310XT, connected parallel to the internal one, so that I would double the battery life of the device! I ordered the battery from BatteryUpgrade.com and after a couple of weeks I had everything I needed to start the operation.

First I did a wooden mold a little bigger than the external battery and about as deep as the battery. I wanted to enclose the external battery in silicon so that it is not exposed to moisture and water. I sprayed a bit of oil in the mold so that the silicon does not stick to it. Then half-filled it with melted silicon from a silicon gun and while it was still liquid I placed the battery in it so that it was half covered by the liquid silicon. Once it cooled down the silicon was rigid, I removed it from the mold and repeated this procedure for the other side of the battery, so that in the end it was fully covered. Silicon did not leave any open gaps and sealed the battery completely.

I removed carefully the battery from the 310XT without disconnecting anything and exposed the poles that were covered with white tape. The red cable indicated the + pole. The same applies for the external battery I bought.

With my Dremel I drilled a small hole on the case of the 310XT at the bottom left corner and away from the GPS antenna. Remember, I do not want to put anything in front of the antenna. Through this hole I passed the two cables of the external battery (which I made a bit longer by soldering some extra cables).

I used a soldering gun to connect the two + poles together inside the case. I made sure that everything was ok by switching on the Garmin from the exposed motherboard buttons. It was ok. So I started assembling the watch again. I used some glue to secure the metal grey top cover to make it as safe from humidity as possible. The external battery was hanging out in its' silicon case.

I covered the silicon case of the external battery with some epoxy in order to make it more rigid and easier to glue on the 310XT case later on. It takes about 8 hours for the epoxy to dry completely.

I would like to notice that my Garmin 310XT has the optional Garmin fast mount allowing quick fix on the Garmin bracelet or on bike mounts. This is essential, since with the standard bracelet this operation will make it more difficult to have access to the recharging points at the back of the Garmin, but not impossible!

Once everything was assembled and dry, it was time to attach the external battery

on the Garmin case. I did that at the lower side of the watch, but away from the location of the GPS antenna that was inside. I did not want to block the signal.

I used epoxy glue again to secure the external battery and seal the small hole for the cables that are going inside the case. The watch is not waterproof anymore, but it can handle rain and sweat. I secured also the cables with some cable cover, for extra protection.

I tested the watch at recording mode a couple of times and it lasted for 37hours 30 minutes or more each time. It takes twice as long to recharge though. Also Garmin software is designed to measure VA so once the official 2.5VA are reached you get the message that it is charged, but it is not! The same applied when I am using the watch, after about 17 hours I start getting the message that battery is low because the 2.5VA are almost gone. But with the external battery there are more than 5VA available. So I just ignore these messages.

I used my modified Garmin 310XT during the Lakeland 105 miles event end of July. I uploaded the whole track and used the watch with the "Do track" feature. My race lasted 25hours 38 minutes. The 310XT worked throughout the race without any problems. I had to ignore the "low battery" warning from 17 hours and on. I also had to restart it at one point because the event was very long and the Garmin could not handle so many track points. But this was happening many times even before my hack. It restarted without any problem!

So, here I am with a unique GPS watch that lasts 37+ hours of non stop operation and it is only about 50 grams heavier than the normal 310XT. And I have it on my wrist all the time giving me a vibration everytime I go off track. This was the single most important piece of equipment for this race for me. It got me safely to the finish line after 105 miles on completely unmarked trails.