Relaxed descent on Mallorca

The first two weeks after the marathon, you need to take it easy. A sightseeing trail over Mallorca certainly fits that.

Although I haven't posted last week, I haven't been sitting still after the Rotterdam Marathon. Of course I took it easy, but I am also very happy that running is going well again. So six days after the marathon, I did a clinic on how to kill the hills with the Merry Runners (part of a two-day beach adventure) as my first run after the marathon. That came in handy for my CxM Trail des Llogarets on Mallorca yesterday.

Maybe the clinic for extra skills in the mountains was not even necessary. But it was good to practice descending again in safe terrain. That is still a thing after Lanzarote. Mallorca scared me a bit: the altitude map showed a pretty steep profile, even though it was only 650 altitude meters in 18 km. Anyway, a matter of perseverance.

On the road

When I'm on vacation, I always try to find a fun trail or running event. The disadvantage of small islands with high mountains, however, is that they are often difficult to reach without a driver's license. Again it was exciting: the bus from Platja de Muro only goes five times a day on Saturdays. Just like the connection in Inca that should bring me to the mountain village Santa Eugenia... with a change of 10 minutes. Of those transfer minutes, 8 were already up when the bus stopped at my stop. The tension built up further, when at each stop up to Alcudia passengers with – this line goes on to the airport – mega-cases boarded. I could already feel the rain coming down when I got off the bus in Inca, the bus was gone and there was no way I could get a taxi (read: no Catalan or Spanish speaking).

Once on the highway, however, we quickly caught up, leaving 3 minutes for the transfer. And the bus driver even warned us at the stop. From experience I trust Google Maps nowadays, because that's not always the case (also on the return trip). The model of the on-call bus to Santa Eugenia arrived right on time and brought me safely via much too narrow two-way roads to my destination, a typical Mallorcan mountain village in yellow stone with church and mill on a mountain slope. Idyllic sprinkled with lemon and orange trees and much greener than the other Spanish islands I visited so far (La Palma, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria).

Catalan

Once in the village I was a real odd duck. Of the approximately 300 runners, only a few were not from Mallorca or Spain. And although the start numbers were quickly found, it was a bit of a puzzle with the chip, the purple t-shirt, the locker room (according to the Catalan Google translation of the race papers it was there) and race rules. Fortunately, I have run in Spain before, so I trusted that it would be alright. Especially no music was the only message that really got across. I never found those dressing rooms because of the language barrier. Or because they really weren't there, which wasn't communicated clearly. That's why I packed everything in a bag for the bag drop.

No warm changing room also meant waiting outside. While in the Netherlands there was apparently a heat wave, in Mallorca that meant wind, lots of wind and a bit of rain. During this holiday we already bought 1 jacket, 2 scarves, a hoodie and a sweater. But once you're walking the cooling is nice, better than 30 C.

Relax, Just do it

After the start we went smoothly downhill out of town. The amount of paved roads was pretty high (4.5 out of 18 km) so that meant we had to pick up some speed. What struck us immediately: this run is very well organized with lots of drink stations and course guards at almost every spot where you don't go straight on, even when there is no exit possible. Unfortunately for the volunteers at the first drink station – already after 3-4 km – their work was in vain due to the mild weather.

Thanks to the many ribbons and volunteers, missing the briefing was no problem at all. Another thing that struck me: Spaniards are very clumsy at getting rid of their raincoats while walking, so I almost hit someone who dropped something. Here and there some soft flasks and gels went through the air, causing owners to stop in mid-air.

Acting like a Spaniard

Usually I walk alone in trails after a while. This time I noticed I didn't have fresh upper legs, but I could keep up with the Spaniards. Ok, I was overtaken by the 8 km equippe that started 15 minutes later, on a narrow section (hands before the eyes), but I was definitely not last.

Actually, I was doing the same as the (non-top running) Spanish people: hiking uphill much more than usual. In this case it certainly cost me unnecessary time, because we didn't only walk on extremely steep hills, but also on steep little roads between the steep parts. I kept walking upright to keep my back in good condition, as Ingrid advised me during the clinic. And indeed it went effortless.

Meanwhile I played my internal music compilation and hummed along with completely distorted lyrics in my head. Actually, I only need real musical support when things are not going so well; because of the calm tempo that wasn't a problem now.

Riverbed

Also downhill went well. Usually I catch up with the lighter Spaniards. In the woods there were some tricky paths, with descents over big sharp stones or along narrow paths (that dances less with the feet). As you can see on the picture, that went reasonably well with my eyes closed 😉 .

On the second part of the trail, the terrain was also a lot more varied and therefore more like a trail than the first part. Along red coloured farmland, through the forest, over gritty riverbeds and for dessert, when the 18 km was almost over, another long staircase... funny to end the hike with, they should do that at the marathon 😉 At the top of the staircase there was live music in front of a cave with statue of Mary. Quite special in the easter weekend.

Femen

After Maria, the trail continued for a short distance, back through the village. Just before the finish the kids walked a steep part down. For a small village like Santa Eugenia this is really a happening. Especially when mister wanted a shower after arrival and had to ask half the world. The shower seemed to be untraceable at the indicated location (typed in Google Maps by a volunteer). After trying all the doors, however, it turned out that I had to walk through a football field before I reached the right place. I almost opened the door of Femen, but I managed to restrain myself despite the association with the topless activists of the same name :p

Once I showered, the long wait began. The next bus was almost three hours after I freshened up and in Santa Eugenia there is little to do besides waiting for the bus. Still, this beautiful and not too difficult trail was definitely worth the wait.

[activity id=2304465219]

P.S. 1 blood sugars went very well, thanks in part to the slow pace. I started with a gel and took one about every 5 km. So that's a little less than once every half hour, but started earlier. Ended on 5,9 mmol/l. So that cake at the end went down well (not pie, but almond cake or chocolate cake).

P.S. 2 Besides a clinic I also posed the first week after the marathon as a Kenyan/Ethiopian in bodypaint. Also a great way to keep tired muscles in check. Probably more about that soon.