Sink or swim or why I should learn self discipline

The "short" version of the race starts near Vallocorine.

 I’ve clearly lost my mind.  One minute I’m training for a 5K run, and then suddenly I’m agreeing to run half a marathon in the alps. Sadly, it’s not the most insane thing I’ve subjected myself to: 3 years ago I backpacked in Northern Canada for 2 weeks with a 45lb pack on my back after never having gone backpacking in my life. You’d think I’d have learned.  And what I’ve learned is that the only way I’m ever going to push myself is if I jump into something  as absurd as possible, with both feet in.  Sink or swim.  And somehow, I figure it out.  You’d think I’d just try and learn self discipline and push myself more gradually, but that theory seems to elude me.

And so now the training starts. I have less than 3 months to go from my half run 5K, to a half marathon in the Alps.  My employer sponsors one of the biggest trail races in the world and last year I had the fortune to be on a support team for one of the athletes we support.  This year, they’re having a special employee 21K edition of the race.  The UTMB is a race where the course passes thru 3 countries (France, Switzerland and Italy)  The  full UTMB course is 170km.  It’s equivalent to about 4 marathons. In a row. Thru the alps.  Thru snow, sleet, night, day, without sleep or rest. To say it’s insane is an understatement.  Most runners take 30 to 40 hours to finish the course.   I’ll be happy to finish my 21k portion in half that time. 

Now, I can walk 21k no problem.  If push came to shove, I could probably jog/walk 21k on a flat surface, but herein lays the problem. Flat does not exist on the UTMB.

The race is broken into 3 sections:

Part 1- 4km and 200m elevation gain

Part 2- 7km and 670m elevation gain

Part 3- 8km and 825m elevation loss

Right now, I’m equipped for Part 1.  “They” have been telling me not to expect to run parts 2 and 3.  My personal theory, is that even if I TRIED to run part 2, I’d get nowhere fast.   You see, if I calculate the grade on part 2, my computer almost explodes.  Most of that grade is accumulated in 4km and is considered extreme.  I expect that I’ll be crawling on all fours to get up that beast.   Part 3 should also be a party.  A downhill party.  I learned one thing backpacking in Yukon and that’s the only thing worse than going up is going down.  Up is all cardio, hip and leg strength.  Downhill is hell on the knees, balance and has the greatest risk of injury.

Backing is out is not an option.  I will conquer it.  It won’t be pretty.  I’m sure there will be moments of blood, sweat and tears and I might cross the finish line well after people have finished the after party, but there’s no way I’m not crossing that finish line.  If only to prove a point to my lack of self discipline.  In the meantime, I’ll be climbing a few mountains as practice…