Training Log Archive: wstewart88

Ultra Trail Costa Blanca - DNF

Probably the most traumatic experience I’ve had whilst running and really unsettled with how the race ended. Got to the final climb of the race and started having chest pain and HR felt high compared to intensity. Stopped briefly to see if it would ease before carrying on up the hill. In about 500m or so I then had to sit down as I had extreme breathlessness. I was hyperventilating and couldn’t get a breath. Really short and shallow breathing. I took off pack and tried to calm down. Sat for 10mins to see if it would pass but it wasn’t getting any better. Called my mate and he sorted the event doctor to meet me down at the road. Dropped and walked down the hill. It lasted for a good 45mins. Ended up in ambulance and Benidorm a&e on a Friday night. Bloods, chest X-ray and ECG all came back normal. Only got home at 1am.

Anyway…the race;

Lazy day on Friday and prepped dinner before driving to our nearby accommodation for the race. Registered and then ate dinner before an early night. Slept really well and felt good waking up. Decent breakfast but no coffee as the woman had made it with milk. Pretty nervous at the start. Spanish looked lean and fast. Good atmosphere on the start but rain came on and was pretty cold. Started in jacket and beanie and soon put on gloves.

First climb was a brute and settled into a good, sustainable pace. Started with poles but it got quite rocky and technical so stashed them and made better progress without them. Let a couple of people past as I wanted to keep the pace manageable. Rain got heavier at the top but got scanned through the CP and onto the descent. Felt like I paced the first climb well and nerves had settled. Was sipping away on the decanted OTE gels. Worked well.

Descent off the top was a bit hairy and didn’t feel particularly comfortable. Took it quite cautiously and then trail opened up so was able to open up the legs a bit. Ran through the first aid station as I had plenty of fluids and gels. Next part went well and settled into a good rhythm. Daylight came as well and rain went off. Was overcast most of the day and pretty ideal conditions. Had a bit of a headache throughout the early stages of the race and think I was just missing the morning coffee. Didn’t really bother me too much though. After the rain the next descent had turned to sludgy clay-like mud and slipping all over the place. Lost some places here but made it down in one piece and again, ran through the CP and took the places back. Moving well and getting settled in the race.

Got to about 24km and out of nowhere I was sick and brought up a lot of fluids. Really strange. First 3hrs fuelled with OTE. Then moved to Maurten as I’ve done before but this time everything came back up. Felt okay afterwards but from here until the top of the second big climb I was fending off cramp and to settle the stomach again. Lost quite a bit of momentum over this 15-20k section. Got into Benifato CP (drop bags) and switch out nutrition and got the second OTE soft flask and the Spring gels. There was also a woman outside with a N’Espresso machine so had a coffee that sorted out my headache and a good boost for the next 9km climb.

Climb started well and took a couple of places back. Some folk were spending ages at the CP so jumped a few people again. Legs still felt fine but a bit twingey and still hadn’t caught up with energy/salts lost. Was getting quite slow nearer the top of the climb but got into the CP and took a bit of time here to get sorted. S Cap and Spring gels and opted to take some Isotonic in the bottles instead. Really worked well and the next section was the best in the race. Flowing down the hill and making up a lot of places. Felt superb and legs turning well. Think I passed maybe 10-12 people here and was loving it. Really pleased that I could resolve the issue and get back on track. Flowed into the CP before continuing on. Spring Awesome Sauce gels were going down brilliantly and although still 30k to go I felt that the pace I was running at was sustainable. Others around looked broken. My mates Mrs said I had gone from 40 something into 24th or so and was going well. I think I would have finished here or improved had it not all gone to shit.

Then hit the steep, technical descent into Sella. Fucking nightmare. Tentative and slow again. I think the fact that I’m so cautious going down this terrain absolutely smashes my quads as I got to the bottom and legs felt battered. Ran on into the CP and the atmosphere was awesome. Really good vibes. Again didn’t hang about - got more isotonic and took on some water as well. Resisted the urge to have some coke and ran on.

The next section out of Sella was a gradual climb and the last of the race. It started on the road and then went on to wide switchbacks through the forest. It felt quite slow and legs were feeling smashed up but I was still catching people on the climb when hiking and no one was going past either. Ran out of Spring gels and was only left with Maurten so switched back to these and they went down okay but was cautious to drink too much with them. About 4km into this section was when the breathlessness kicked in and had to stop. Was pretty much midway to the next CP so a difficult place to get back to some support.

Although I’m a bit disappointed with how it ended I’m not too gutted as I know I couldn’t have carried on in that condition. At the moment I’m just a bit concerned with what caused it and the thought of it happening again in a race. Pretty worrying and not the best thing to have hanging over me.

Aftermath was long drawn out and issues started at 1610. Got collected off the course at 1800. Cold and got all emergency gear on whilst waiting and walking down the hill. Got to a&e and tests from about 1900-0000. No food or water till getting out but got some food and fluids when I got home.

Slept okay. Legs a wee bit stiff this morning. Can’t work out if chest is a bit tight/uncomfortable or maybe I’m overthinking it. Feel okay otherwise.

Didn’t change shoes and they worked fine throughout. Just one blister on the end of a toe. Kit worked fine. Poles were good for some parts but other times I just felt like I was running better without them and there were sections of climbs where they were a hinderance. Really think I need to move away from Maurten as it curtails the ability to take on electrolytes and fluids properly. OTE and Spring went down well and felt like nutrition was well managed aside from the 25-35km section. As I say, pleased to work through this and get it back under control. Salt Caps and isotonic drink worked well. Was definitely dehydrated for quite a bit of the race. I think over the first 4hrs I had drunk about 1.5L. It was cooler but think I should have drunk more.

Approx nutrition (lost track a bit); 10x OTE (400g), 3x Spring Awesome Sauce (135g), 1x Spring Hill Aid (20g), 7x Gel100 (175g), 3x S Caps, 2 orange slices. 1L isotonic drinks, 4-5L water (I think), double espresso + water.

Really good night sleep and feeling good this morning. Breakfast and a lazy morning. Pissing with rain. Cleared around lunch and a nice jaunt along the promenade.

Legs turning well and just an easy cruise before chilling out and trying to sit still for the next day or so.

Awesome night sleep and felt good waking up. Throat cleared up as well and think it had been the nasal spray I had been using that was causing irritation. Coffee and go kind of morning and a bit cooler today. Drove down to Cartagena and ran on some nice trails.

Legs felt good today and were turning over nicely. Took it super easy today running to begin with on the flowing trails and then when it got a bit steeper was hiking at a very low intensity. Kept breathing easy and then some awesome views at the top around the coastline. Descended cautiously through the spikey bushes and then opened the legs up a bit at the bottom. Nice wee leg turner before a lazy day.

Not as good a night sleep. Got a bit of a sore throat which is a bit weird. Feels like it’s aggravated or inflamed rather than a cold. Up at 7 and then headed over to Finestrat in a bid to get a route recce. We saw the first checkpoint but other than that we ran on zero % of the race trails. Mate claimed to have gpx but never so we were just trying to work out where we were in relation to the course. Weather was good; sunny but cool air and quite a bit of shade on the lower trails.

We ran up a really nice climb up to where the first checkpoint is. I felt good on the climb although breathing felt higher than normal for the intensity. Maybe the heat as I was finding it warm in the sun. Legs felt like they were moving okay and the terrain was good. Dry, dusty trails so could get into a good rhythm. At the top of the climb we realised our mistake so tried to work out how to sort it but it didn’t really work out. Scrambled up to a ridge and then tried to scope out the trails around before dropping back down and then running a different route back around into town.

Throat felt better after the run. Sipped water throughout but no nutrition as planned. Got lost a couple of times on the way down. First climb was really good and some nice flowing descents. Good time in the sun as well but otherwise quite a bit of faff which is par for a recce.

Yesterday turned out to be fairly mad day. Up at 3am to get to the airport and with bus transfers and breaking into my mates parents house and then picking them up at the airport the day just ran away from me. Travel went fine and all kit arrived as well. Felt tired throughout the day.

Last night was the best sleep I’ve had in weeks and it really felt like a bit of a mind shift and starting to relax and destress. Leisurely morning and then went to the shops to get some supplies for the week. Ran at lunchtime and conditions were great. Sunny but air is cool and a nice breeze. Sun does feel hot but not overbearing.

Legs felt pretty good. A little stale from the travelling but loosened nicely and did an out and back along the coast. A wee bit phlegmy but cleared okay. Strideouts felt sharp and moving well. Heading to the course tomorrow for last SE run and to recce the drive and first climb. Check the terrain out as well.