Big Arse Outings

‘Big calorie burn days’, that’s what I used to call them. Now that I recognise that this might encourage under eating while exercising and that’s bad for women’s performance and health, I've changed what I call them. Essentially they are significantly bigger than normal exercise days. Sometimes it’s a big race, sometimes it’s just your longest training session in the build upto an event. Occasionally they are unplanned epic days out when things don’t go according to any plan. Hopefully you get the idea. I used to advocate that my clients try to schedule something bigger than normal once a month, simply because it can really progress your goals in a fairly easy to feel/notice way.  They usually involve some element of type 2 fun but can be very motivating too. BUT, (the age related BUT) with declining collagen and the resulting higher risk of injuries, I’m more hesitant to advise or do these unusually big training sessions. They are inherently risky.  Conservative, consistent, progression, whilst un sexy, is really the best way forward, not big leaps with a quick fix mentality. That said, personally I might still do some but in a more controlled way.

This week, inspired by the Paralympics participants, and those doing one of the the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc races, I hiked uphill for over 4 hrs to the summit of Mont Buet, that’s 1700ms of up in one go, to a top that is just over 3000ms high. Definitely, a big up and down for me personally. Particularly risky given I was just getting back into training after 3 low training weeks thanks to flu. Mont Buet is in Chamonix’s beautiful Aiguille Rouge nature reserve. This big arse outing was driven not by ego but by my need to avoid DOMs(Delayed Onset Muscle soreness that kicks in the day after doing more than the muscles are accustomed to doing and lasts 48 hrs). Next week I’m doing a hut to hut hiking trip in the Dolomites that has pretty big days and at least one 2000m descent day with no rest days. So I decided to get my DOMs this week instead so I can suffer in the comfort of home rather than on the trip. Arguably I could have done 2 1000m days that wouldn’t have been excessive, but apart from the time involved this plan might not prepare my muscles as well as just having the one big day. So off I went.

I did a number of things to mitigate the risk and was reasonably confident that the consistent strength training I’ve been doing all year would help.  I set out prepared to change my goal if needed and adjusted my pace for a long day out. Not easy when strong runners jogged past me in the first few kilometres before it steepened. Guess my competitive side still needs a bit of reigning in.

It may well be a PWT (personal worst time) for a 10k for me, I haven’t checked and I honestly don’t mind. Admittedly there were loads of raspberries & blueberries irresistibly around to pick and the terrain was largely quite technical for running so I wasn’t tempted to run “easy”. I’m getting better at backing off the pace when it’s prudent. Had I not been so late leaving the car I could have stopped at the refuge at halfway for a break but there was a chance of an early evening thunderstorm so I pressed on.

Sadly there are no photos of the false summit as my phone went on the blink for the top section.  As I slogged it out the people descending reduced & the dark clouds grew. 2 women said ‘courage’ to me just before the false summit. Thanks to the forecast I felt like I was racing even though I was slow. I wondered if it was prudent to carry on & resolved to turn round at the first thunder. Fortunately this didn’t happen until the summit.  It would have been great to linger here as I had the summit all to myself, (probably a rare event) but clearly I was only halfway & had 1700m descent to go & an urgent need to get off the exposed ridge section before any lightning. I inhaled a bounty chocolate bar and ran for the first time that day, taking care not to trip. Before long I was back in the boulder field of un-runnability and fortunately the storm moved somewhere else.

Since this was definitely a hard day for me given current fitness levels much of the day was spent mulling over mottos/mantras to keep me going. I’ve never been a fan of ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ since it’s just not true and encourages pushing your limits without regard for anything else. I do however like ‘your stronger than you think’ which has served me well for many years. On this trip, I decided ‘you’re only as strong as your weakest bit’, should take its place as my left leg grumbled and the terrain demanded all my concentration to avoid spraining an ankle or worse. It may sound a bit negative but in the moment it helped me concentrate while tired & kept me from pushing my pace too hard. In everyday life I like it to keep my focus on strengthening any weak bits, which seem to have become more noticeable as I age. I’m fascinated by the dialogue we have with ourselves and the part it plays in what we do. What motto`s/mantras work for you and why?

Once I left the summit moonscape behind and since I was practically the only person left on the mountain I was treated to several Ibex at almost touching distance. These animals are amazing to watch. Whenever I see them its usually in autumn & I have to stifle my excitement & keenness to snap a good photo because its important not to alarm them into having to run at this critical feeding time before winter. This day I just sat on a rock and they leisurely went passed me. I was very envious of their rock capabilities thanks to goat like hooves that spread as they climb silently over rocks.

After a quick break at the refuge the last section of the descent went without incident even with this sting in the tail close to the end when I was at my most tired.

A day later and no DOMs either. Maybe ‘stronger than you think’ still stands.

If reading this has provoked any questions then do get in touch. I’m happy to clarify without obligation. Of course if you would like to know how to get stronger so you too can enjoy hiking/running in the mountains more or tackle more challenging outings then lets arrange to chat.