Tokyo. 30 degrees and 100% humidity.
24/7: 0:30.
Tokyo.
25/7: 1:02. 900'.
Tokyo.Loops of Akasaka Detached Palace. 5am run to try and get in front of the heat. Felt shocking by the end.
26/7: 6:28. 5000'.
5th Station Mt Fuji to summit and return.
27/7: 4:19. 5000'.
Mt Fuji from 1st Station to 6th Station and return. 3000 - 8000 - 3000.
28/7: 0:26.
Travelling all day. Late night road run around Hakuba Ski Resort, Japanese Alps.
29/7: 3:10. 3800'.
Top of Hakuba Happo One Ski Lift to summit and return. 4500 - 8000 - 4500.
Total: 17:23. 15,700'.
Mileage wise I've been doing ok the last few weeks in view of UTMB, however this was the first real opportunity I've had to get in some half decent vertical. All training this past month has been with full race kit and it's starting to feel more comfortable. The UTMB mandatory gear list is pretty extensive (especially comparative to where it was 4 years ago) and it's been enjoyable in a way to return to my early days of racing multi-stage events in terms of dialling my gear down to the lowest weight/ volume possible. The Salomon S-Lab 5 litre is perfect for the job and for this race and I haven't felt as comfortable with a pack for a long time. The best thing for me is that it's possible for me to get my windproof/ waterproof in/out of the pack without breaking stride and get it over both my body and the pack too, instantly wet proofing everything I'm carrying. By using bottles and removing the bladder I've still got a good amount of room in there carrying everything I need for the race plus 25 - 30 Gu's.
More than getting used to carrying a pack again, I've been trying to get some more serious ascents and descents in. UTMB is one long hike with the odd snippet of running thrown in, so in a way most of what I've been doing until now has been base CV with little to no focus on the race. Getting away to Japan in between the SDW and NDW built up a fair amount of stress in terms of getting everything done, but since we've been away, Fuji and the amazing Japan Alps have afforded me a few days of good elevation change on technical terrain, with the promise of another few to follow. The scenery isn't too bad either....
Wow James you lucky bugger!! Sorry haven't been on blogger for months so missed these posts. Was Japan trip work related or purely an indulgence to run up mt fuiji!!? Going to follow your prep very closely for UTMB as I'm looking to learn everything i can if I'm to give myself a chance next year of completely what will undoubtedly be the hardest thing I've ever embarked on. For you how does it rate on the toughness scale to other events you have done and finished!!?? Disco Stu
ReplyDelete