Trip to the Alps with the Trail Running Team (Hannah)

I've just got back from a really inspiring weekend in the alps with the Trail Running Team. It was just brilliant being back in the mountains spending long hours out on the trails. And I loved being able to spend time being to know the other team members. A huge thank you to Julie and Simon from Freestak for making this possible.

We arrived on the Thursday and the weather was a bit dodgy in Chamonix. So that meant we had a very chilled afternoon sitting around and getting to know each other before Julia from Tracks & Trails came to brief us on the next few days. Julia lives and works in Chamonix and was our guide. It definitely made a difference (and felt like a real treat) having someone to show us good routes rather than losing time fiddling around with maps. Julia was also full of all sorts of facts about the area (flora, fauna, history etc) and that added something to the whole experience.

The start on day 1 - pretty special!

Day 1 (Friday) was a loop out from Chamonix - we pretty much followed the Mont Blanc marathon course. It definitely threw us right in at the deep end especially given we hadn't acclimatised at this stage. But the fact that everyone finished with a smile on their face showed that Julie and Simon had picked a team of tough and determined individuals! The uphills were the perfect opportunity to get to know each other. Alpine climbs are totally different to the short sharp hills of Surrey and you can often time your ascent in hours rather than minutes. So we power walked them at a determined pace but one which was slow enough to enable us to talk - i.e. we were still aerobic. We talked about all sorts of things and I have definitely left the weekend with some new friends who will inspire me to do some exciting things.

Getting ready for the descent...

The downhills were less about talking and more about focusing. Apparently you slow by about 20% if you natter! On the first day Julia gave us a lesson in descending which I found really helpful - I wish I'd been lucky enough to have had that experience before last year's Transalpine. The tips that really worked for me were:

•  Keeping a wide stance and using the edge of the path (a bit like a bobsled)

•  Dropping your shoulder and head into the corner to bring you round (like on a bike)

• Staying light on your feet and accepting that your footing might not be perfect and you'll move on quickly

• Constantly flicking between looking ahead and looking in front (long vs short sight) - and making sure you really do look ahead and think about what's coming up

What was great about being in the mountains was that we were able to practise this technique by doing downhill reps. We had a long descent of around 1000m and split this into chunks. We'd go one at a time and leave good space between us. Then after about 5 mins we'd stop and regroup before going again. It meant I was able to refine my technique and let my brain and legs recover a little between reps. But my legs didn't get the full recovery they would at home where I'd have to climb all the way back up before being able to descend again. I felt my technique change and my confidence increase - for me this was a real benefit of the weekend and something I will take away and practise.

At the end of day 1 we returned to  Chamonix where we enjoyed the local cuisine (i.e. variations of cheese, bread, ham and more cheese). And we also had the chance to tweak our kit and nutrition before the two day adventure that was to make up the rest of the weekend. Day 2 (Saturday) was long and tough but saw us finish up high at a mountain refuge. Day 3 (Sunday) was the return to Chamonix.

Stunning view back to Chamonix after our first climb on day 2

Day 2 involved a huge amount of climbing - over 3000m of ascent and that made it bigger than any day of the Transalpine in that respect. But we were incredibly lucky with the weather and throughout the day we were treated with the most breath-taking views. At the beginning of the day Mont Blanc towered above us looking so amazing it almost looked superimposed. As the day progressed we could turn around and look back at our whole route and give ourselves a pat on the back!

Climbing...

Top of the first climb - spot the mountains peeking through the clouds...

Our big climb for the day was the Col de Tricot. The last little bit was on snow and ice and the top felt quite exposed. The descent was the type I struggled with on the Transalpine - steep and long with lots of loose rocks. But I was really pleased with how it went - partly as a result of the previous day's lesson but also cos of the leg weights and plyometrics I've been doing since January. My legs felt strong and that also helped on the uphills.

Almost at the top of the Col de Tricot

Looking back at the descent off the Col de Tricot - you can see the path zig-zagging down

After the descent off the col we were rewarded with a really delicious blueberry tart. One of the joys of running in the Alps is the alpine cafes you come across - a chance to rest for a while and refuel. That said I found that regular stops made it trickier to get my fuelling strategy right and also meant my muscles seized a bit. I've been carrying a slight muscle spasm in my right calf since the Isle of Wight and this was really sore after some of the breaks. However wearing a Compressport calf guard (hyperlink) on that leg did seem to help. I would also try and do friction work whenever we stopped to keep the muscle warm and mobile.

Blueberry tart - yum!

One of my favourite parts of the weekend was our stay at the mountain refuge. I love staying somewhere which is only accessible to those who've made a physical effort to get there. The refuge was a 2 hour hike up a very steep rocky path. The views were 360º and were amazing. The whole experience felt really special.

Mel & me at the refuge - behind us we could see our route all the way from Chamonix

Sweaty smelly clothes hanging up to dry

The view in the other direction

 As we were going to sleep (all bunked up mountain-style - side-by-side in a massive dorm with serious mountain climbers and about 30 children) there was a rush of excitement as the children all ran out of the room shaking the floorboards as they went. There was a red glow so we all wrapped ourselves in our duvets and huddled by the window to see what was going on. A beacon had been lit outside the refuge and dots on the distant mountains suggested the same had been done all around the valley. It was St John's day and this is how they celebrate.

Flares for St John's day

It was a short night as we crept out of bed at 4am so we could do some night running and test out our LED Lenser head torches. It's the first time I've run in the mountains in the dark and I really enjoyed it. I was also super-impressed at the head torch which lit up the path so well that I was confident ascending and descending on the thin rocky mountain paths.

After our early morning high altitude hill rep session we were all ready for breakfast before heading off down the mountain at 6am. I love being up at that time before the rest of the world has woken up. On this occasion we were lucky enough to see a group of make ibex grazing on the mountain - a rare treat.

Ibex

Day 3 was still long but easier in terms of ascent and descent which was welcome as we were all getting tired. That said, Julia was good at making sure we ran when we could. When you're walking the long steep climbs it's easy to get lazy and keep walking when the terrain flattens out. Julia wouldn't let us do that and I appreciated that.

As I've already said, it was brilliant being back in the mountains and I'm now feeling motivated to go back for more. I'm also now feeling confident that I am well again after my chest infection and my running is getting back on track. So it's time to start planning my race schedule for the rest of the year and committing to some events...