What exactly did I do?
I went on a ‚runcation‘ on Madeira for one week of training and relaxing. I brought the best running partner and overall human being with me, my girlfriend Lisa. Running and chilling was basically all we did during those 7 days, besides a small but lovely birthday party of two and occasional visits at a vegan café.
Why did I do it?
First of all I needed a holiday. I haven’t travelled anywhere further away for more than 2 years. It really filled my heart with excitement even weeks before. Other than that, I wanted to do a high volume training block in the mountains with no other focus but running, eating and relaxing. In fact it was the first time I hit the mountains since CCC in August. I also wanted to use my daily runs for testing different fueling strategies and play around with different shoes and gear. I was also looking into the mental aspects of long days in the mountains compared to my usual 1-2 hour workouts in the olympic park.
Why Madeira?
We chose Madeira because of its warm climate, massive climbs and breathtaking flora. But it was also a 'Streckencheck' for my only Western States preparation race in april, the Madeira Ultra Trail (MIUT 85). Despite doing out and back runs instead of point to point (we had no one to shuttle us haha), we managed to cover huge parts of this epic race course. Other than that Madeira is a very relaxed and laid back island if you stay out of its capital Funchal. We loved the vibes.
What was the best thing about the runcation?
For me personally it was that I could finally play out the endurance I had built up over the past months. My body could handle the large mileage and altitude gains with ease and I felt stronger with every day. I surely didn’t push hard on those runs and found the perfect balance of being exhausted but not empty at the end of each day.
What was the worst?
Flying with 'se Germans' and being away from our wonderful cats Harry and Toto.
What surprised me the most?
The immense diversity of nature, the steepness of some of the climbs and how little carbs I actually need if I don’t push hard.
What was the best run of the week?
One would believe it was the 50k we did on the first day but I would choose Thursday‘s run where I did the first part of the MIUT 85 route, starting in São Vicente on the north coast. That run was just beautiful and it felt like flying. Everything was perfect.
Which is the most beautiful place on madeira?
Well, I‘ve only seen a small fraction of the island, but I was most impressed by the area around Pico Grande. It’s a middle part of the MIUT race course, shortly before the biggest climb up to Pico Ruivo. The rolling terrain from Encumeada up to the top and the beautiful downhill to Curral Das Freiras were just breathtaking.
What did this runcation do to my goal of running the Western States 100?
Well first of all it gave me confidence that the many many foundational workouts I did during the past 3 months made sense. Although I have the feeling of getting slower and slower, I have obviously built a solid endurance basis. Second I reunited with the mountains and with running with altitude. Each year it takes a while until I get those 'mountain legs' again. Regarding this particular thing the runcation was a highly effective shock therapy haha!
What’s up next?
Well, it’s only 8 weeks until I am back to Madeira to race the MIUT 85. Until then I hope to stay connected with the mountains despite the snow that is still present in the alps. I also hope for a couple of lake runs with my friends and maybe another parkrun. I simply can’t let go off running short and fast ❤️