Guest Q&A: Dean Cunningham on Font Romeu

The latest blog post is a Q&A piece with running enthusiast, and relative newcomer to the sport, Dean Cunningham.  Dean, from Inverness in Scotland, has visited Font Romeu twice and agreed to share his perspective as a non-elite runner on the French altitude training base.  I am forever reassuring athletes of all levels that they don’t have to be international athletes with Olympic aspirations to train in these great venues, and I think what Dean has to say reiterates that point.

Altitude Training Camps (ATC) Dean, thanks for volunteering to answer some questions about your altitude training experiences in Font Romeu.  As means of introduction, can you give us a bit of background about you and your running?

Dean Cunningham (DC) I first started running in September 2011 purely to give me something to do. I clocked 36:30 for 10k on the road in March 2012 off approximately 25 miles per week, which just consisted of casual running and no structured training or sessions. Shortly after that I started training with Inverness Harriers AAC and despite a few injuries through late 2012 and early 2013; I have been training "properly" for about 18 months now. 2014 has been a good year; I have progressed quite a lot and currently run 80-90 miles per week, including 2-3 sessions and 2 weights sessions. I’ve now run 33 flat for 10k, so progression is coming along nicely, although that’s nowhere near as fast as I want and I know this is just the start of what’s to come.

I work 37 hours a week in server/infrastructure technical support, which is mentally challenging in itself, but usually still manage to run twice a day. It is hard to fit all of the training around work, but I know what I want from myself and I am willing to work hard for it. And I have to pay the bills as well unfortunately!

I love running mostly because you get out what you put in. If you are willing to work hard and put in the training, the progress you can see from yourself can be awesome. In reality it’s all still very new to me, I am constantly learning, but seeing myself progress and get fitter, faster and stronger is a huge motivator. I have never been one to ask myself “what if…”, so giving it as much as I can to see where I can get to is the only option for me.

ATC As a non-elite runner, what attracted you to Font Romeu?

DC I remember reading and watching videos of Ryan Hall training up in Mammoth and Flagstaff. It looked amazing and I started wondering if there were places in Europe where athletes went to live high. I found lots of information online about St. Moritz and Font Romeu and it all started from there. Initially the biggest attraction was that it seemed so accessible to anybody and is just a short flight and car journey from the UK.

ATC You’ve been to Font Romeu twice. Tell us about your visits.

DC My first visit was in May 2012. I went with my girlfriend for 2 weeks. This trip was more a relaxing holiday with lots of running thrown in. We are not lovers of sitting on the beach, and love busy/crowded places even less, so Font Romeu ticked all of the boxes for us. It was fantastic in every way; we both loved it and after the 14 nights we were both genuinely upset at having to leave. The lifestyle, weather, scenery, just everything about the place was perfect.

My second visit was from late April to early May 2014 - 16 nights in total - with a teammate from Inverness. We shared an apartment with Irish International Eoin Everard for the first week and then with Irish 800m record holder Roseanne Galligan.  This trip was more of a training stint at altitude than a holiday - eat, sleep and train in the French Pyrenees. It was awesome.

ATC How did you find the altitude?

DC It’s really noticeable, or at least it is as soon as you do something other than normal walking or standing around. For some reason, people think you’ll get out of the car, draw a deep breath and it’ll be really apparent. But it’s not. It’s when you tackle the hotel/apartment stairs with your 20kg suitcase that you get found out and wonder what on earth is happening to you. I think in the grand scheme of things I was really OK with the altitude and acclimatised well. After 7 days you think you feel fine and you are back on sea level terms, but after 10 days you feel better still and realise at 7 days you were nowhere near usual sea level terms. It is definitely a long gradual process of your body readjusting and coping with the altitude and it’s really interesting to observe.

The only advice I had on training at altitude was taken from the Internet and books I had read, including Jack Daniels’ book [Daniels Running Formula], which has a good section on altitude. Eoin was on his 3^rd stint at altitude and was very helpful. There are no set rules or laws; being able to listen to your body and gauge how to shape your training around that is always the best approach, but help and advice from others can really help.  Don’t be worried if after 5 days you still feel tired and struggling to run easy whilst your training buddy is smashing out miles on the track! Everyone is different.

ATC Do you feel that you benefited from training in Font Romeu, and if so, in what ways?

I benefitted massively. Most think the thin air/red blood cell increase is what it’s all about but that’s only a small part of it. Structuring your days around nothing but training and having that time to properly recover is a major benefit.

Living and training with high level athletes and seeing how they trained and structured their day was another major learning experience I brought home and try to apply to my own training now.

All these experiences and lessons learnt out in Font Romeu are the cake, with the fact you are up high and receiving the benefits of thin air being the icing on that cake. Since coming back months ago now, the natural altitude stimulation effects are of course gone, but I am training as hard, running faster and I am fitter.

ATC What are the highlights of Font Romeu for you?

DC The main highlights for me about FR though would be:

Accessibility to trails - Within 5 to 15 mins of the town itself there are countless options for runs/sessions. No matter what you have planned, on your doorstep is the ideal place to do it.

Facilities - It might be in the middle of nowhere up a mountain (which is a GOOD thing!) but it has everything. Track, gyms, pools, multiple supermarkets. This would be plenty, but then you have all the little things such as bakeries, butchers, café’s. And again, it’s all on the doorstep. It’s a home from home.

Weather - It’s fantastic! It hit 29 degrees when I was there the first year. This year was not so warm but every day was sunshine and very little, if any, rain or bad winds. In my 2 stays there, I have never even had to consider moving or altering my training plans because of weather.

Lifestyle - It’s all about training. So having that time in the middle of the day to actually recover, eat at the right times and sleep at the right times makes a massive difference. The French people have their downtime in the middle of the day also; everything is just so laid back and easygoing compared to back home. I could genuinely live and follow the way the people in FR structure their daily life - it makes so much sense to me.

ATC Does Font Romeu have any drawbacks?

DC It’s a French town, everyone speaks French and very little, if any, English. This is not a drawback to me personally. I loved having to pick up the language. The locals love it when they see you after 2 weeks and you are able to have a conversation with them.

Another would be that you ideally need a car to get around. It’s a manageable trip with no car but the convenience of having one is not to be underestimated. You are on the edge of a mountain, it is pretty remote, so whilst everything is really on the doorstep of the town, it’s those 5 and 10 minute drives to trails and places to train which are just a lot more manageable with a car. Hire cars are cheap enough for 2 weeks or longer and well worth it if you are sharing the cost with others. 

ATC Would you recommend Font Romeu to a friend?

DC Absolutely! I never shut up about the place. Everyone wishes I would move there and stop telling them how great it is. I recommend it to friends and colleagues, they all assume it’s just for athletes but it’s the ideal different from the norm escape with lots of amazing things to see and do.

Font Romeu is everything you want it to be - whether it’s a relaxing break, hard training stint or a mixture of both. Whatever your level, you can visit for the same reasons that elite athletes do; living and training in an excellent environment isn’t just for people at the higher end of athletics. Font Romeu is accessible and beneficial to everyone.

ATC Do you have any future altitude training plans?

DC I would love to someday live and train in Albuquerque, NM as it looks fantastic out there, not because I am a massive Breaking Bad fan, honestly….  

ATC Is there anything else that you would like to add?

DC Thank you very much for the interview, I really hope my rambling does help someone out there and encourages others to head to FR and see how amazing it is.

Finally, thank you to Kerry O’Flaherty.  She was a great help and hostess for my latest trip.  Her apartment can be rented and it is one of the best places to stay in FR, especially for athletes.

Massive thanks to Dean (pictured above at the track in Font Romeu), and we wish him continued success in the sport.  It’s nice to hear that he used the resources on  www.altitudetrainingcamps.com to help plan his trips.

If you liked what Dean had to say, show your appreciation and give him a follow on Twitter: @xdcx88.

Featured country of the month: Switzerland

Switzerland is our featured country for June.  With large portions of the country situated in the mountains, it's not surprising that there are some towns and villages located at altitude, but elevated valleys, such as the Engadin, means that you won't always be running up the side of a mountain!

All this month we have been featuring Switzerland and it's altitude training venues on twitter and facebook. Here are some of the country's altitude training highlights.

St Moritz (1,856m) is by far the most popular destination, and is the Swiss national altitude training base. The town is one of the oldest ski resorts in the world, has twice hosted the Winter Olympic Games, and hosts a range of weird and whacky sports and activities on ice and snow in the winter months.  The lakes, forests and mountains which surround the resort, aren't just a winter playground, however, and there is ideal training terrain and facilities for distance runners, cyclists and triathletes, among others.

St. Moritz is particularly beautiful, and there is lot of beautiful scenery to enjoy both while training, and when relaxing afterwards.  The flat trail circles the lake ....

... and well-groomed, undulating trails criss-cross the forests that surround the town.

Pontresina (1,805) and Samaden (1,721m) are located a short distance from St. Moritz, and are both popular bases in their own right.  The same trail system links the three towns, and there is a variety of holiday accommodation available across the whole area, which may be cheaper than St. Moritz.  Pontresina has a swimming pool, and there are good facilities for a variety of sports in Samaden, which also has flat paved routes particularly suitable for racewalking.

There are also a number of towns west of St. Moritz with access to the trails, including the lake-side Champfer (1,825 m) and Silvaplana (1,815 m), both pictured below.

Davos (1,560) is also used as an official Swiss Olympic training base, and it's moderate altitude and excellent facilities makes it a popular choice.There are excellent facilities for a range of sport, both in Davos, and in nearby Kloisters (1,179m), and an excellent network of hiking and biking trails in the area.

Notes from Higher Grounds: An altitude training guide for endurance athletes  features a whole chapter on St. Moritz, and the surrounding towns and villages, and as well as practical advice on how to get there, where to stay, and when to go, has interesting facts about the town and its sorting history.  The book can be purchased here for the special price of just £18 for the month of June.

St. Moritz is without doubt the most beautiful venue that I visited, and I took the opportunity to take lots of photos.  More pictures can be found on facebook and flickR

Training in Kenya: the low-down

I still remember the smell in Nairobi airport, and the excitement I felt when travelling to the centre of Nairobi, on my first visit to Kenya in 2005.  The next day I would be travelling by bus along the edge of the Rift Valley to Iten, the heart of the most successful distance running community in the world, and I could barely contain my excitement.  Back then I still had big dreams in athletics.  I had competed for Ireland at the World University Cross Country Championships the previous year, and now that I had my PhD out of the way, I wanted to reach the next level in the sport.

Things rarely work out as planned.  My athletics career never took off.  But unknown to me then, that trip to Kenya planted the seeds for a much greater adventure, and in ways I could never have dreamed of, led to successes away from the track.  Almost nine years later, I published a book on altitude training venues around the world, which was inspired by that first trip.  I developed a love-affair with Africa, and have been back numerous times, expanding my world view, and a developing a relaxed attitude to life that has since served me well.  This piece will look at why Kenya is such a great training venue, and why runners of all levels can be enchanted by the country’s simple beauty and friendly people.

Accessibility to athletes
If you want to train among the stars, Kenya is the place to go.  Though Ethiopia often challenges Kenya on the medals table at major championships, Kenya’s medals are generally distributed among a greater number of athletes.  When it comes to middle and long distance events, no country has more world medallists.  And in few countries are the athletes so accessible.

Over the years I have trained in the same gym as David Rudisha, been introduced to Saif Saaeed Shaheen, and met Sammy Korir, then the second fastest marathoner in history, without even being aware that he was a world class athlete.  That’s not to mention all the current and future stars that I’ve watched train on the dirt tracks at Kamariny and Chepkoilel, and been passed by on the trails around Iten.  And it’s not just the Kenyans that train here.  Double world and Olympic champion Mo Farah spends long stints training in Kenya, as do a number of Europe’s other top distance runners.  More recently, American distance runners have been sampling what Kenya has to offer.

Despite their success, there is no pretension among the majority of Kenya’s best runners.  They all know that they are only ever one bad race away from being a forgotten name, as the next talented teenager takes the spotlight.  They come across as humble, and are always encouraging of visiting athletes of all levels.  If you happen on a Kenyan athlete on a recover run, they are likely to run at your pace, but don’t expect them to show any mercy during a workout.  If you’re really lucky, you will get to know the athletes a bit better, and may even be invited to share ugali or chi in their homes.

Endless dirt roads

One of the highlights of training in Kenya is the seemingly endless choice of dirt roads to train on.  Most roads are not paved – a welcome respite to injury-prone legs – and even those that are, have a dirt trail running alongside them.  The terrain is mostly undulating, with long challenging drags and small hills, but not mountainous.  Many towns around Eldoret have dirt tracks, which are great for low impact workouts, and short recovery runs when you’re looking for relief from the hills.

Altitude

Most of the Rift Valley area north of Nairobi is situated at a moderate altitude (1,600 m to 2,400 m), the ideal elevation range for inducing an altitude training response.  You don’t have to be an elite athlete to benefit from altitude, and runners of all levels will find it easier to run when they return to sea level.  Visitors should aim to stay for at least 3-4 weeks, and reduce the volume of training for at least the first 10 days.  Training too hard is the most common reason for not responding to training at altitude.

Cultural experience

It’s not just the running culture that you’ll get to sample – Kenya is a great place to go to experience everyday African life.  From taking a trip in a matatu to visiting a local market, the simplest of daily tasks can provide a wonderful insight into the Kenyan way of life.  Try grinding corn and making your own ugaili, attempt to get your shoes as clean as the locals do, and marvel at the core stability required to cycle a bike stacked high with cases of coca-cola, a few chickens and large bunches of bananas.

Where to visit

Thanks to the successes of past students of the local St. Patrick’s High School, Iten is probably the most famous of all the Kenyan training bases.  Athletes from all over the Rift Valley flock to the town in the hope of becoming the next champion.  Lornah Kiplagat’s world renowned High Altitude Training Centre (HATC), has hosted athletes from right across the world, and has a well equipped gym, swimming pool, and the most recent addition, a 400m Tartan track.  Kerio View is also a good place for athletes to stay, and the 400m dirt track at Kamariny is where all the athletes train.

The nearby city of Eldoret is also home to hundreds of aspiring and accomplished distance runners.  It has a greater choice of shops, restaurants and services than Iten.  Athletes can usually be spotted around Kip Keino Stadium on the east of the city, where a lot of local competitions are held, and at Chepkoilel track on Chepkoilel University College Campus approximately 10 km east of the city.

Athletes also live and stay in other towns around Eldoret, including Kaptagat, Kapsabet and Mosoriot.  Mosoriot, located in the Nandi Hills, 30 km west of Eldoret, is a recently developed option for western athletes looking to train in Kenya while getting the authentic village experience.  The Rift Valley Running Center, run mainly by Run for Life volunteers, opened there in 2005.  Visitors stay in basic, but adequate, accommodation at the centre, eat traditional Kenyan food at the adjacent Cafe Milka, train on the dirt trails around the centre, do workouts at the nearby Mosoriot Teachers Training College, and do weights sessions in the centre’s gym.  The centre is located close to Eldoret Airport

College or university students can volunteer to be part of one of the many projects operated by Run for Life in the area.  Visitors can choose to run the Rift Valley Marathon, half marathon or team relay which takes place nearby every March. Runners of all levels are welcome at the centre, and, in association with Run for Life, we’re offering one lucky middle or long distance athlete the chance to stay at the Rift Valley Running Centre free of charge for 6 weeks during winter 2015.  The winner will be responsible for covering their own travel and food costs during the stay.

Competition entry is now closed.  Winners will be announced shortly. 

Featured Country of the Month: USA

The United States has been our featured country for April and May (it got two months because there is so much on offer there), and over the last 8 weeks or so we've shared photos, facts and information about some of America's top altitude training venues.  This blog post aims to bring some of that information together, and to provide further insight into my experiences training at altitude there.

Trails

For me, one of the great advantages to training in the US, is the trails.  The country is covered with national and state parks, national and state forests, wilderness areas, and other federal lands. This means that there are large areas of lands which have free access to the public which are crossed by well marked multi-use trails, fire-roads and unpaved roads.  Towns such as Flagstaff and Boulder have a network of well-groomed trails, while towns such as Mammoth Lakes have access to a range of more rural tracks and trails. Whether your a trail runner looking for challenging single-track routes, or a speedy track runner looking for fast, flat, traffic-free roads for your sessions, there are usually plenty of options no matter where you are in the States.

Local trail maps can be purchased in most running shops and outdoor stores, or downloaded from the National Park Service website. Details of good trails for running can be found on the localeikki website, or through the websites of local trail providers (e.g. Flagstaff Urban Trail System, or City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks).

Racing

Many British athletes combine a stint of altitude training in the US, with early season track races on the US circuit.  The invitational and open meets in California (e.g. Stanford Invitational, Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational, Mt Sac Relays, Oxy High Performance Meet) are particularly popular, and easily accessed from any of America's top altitude training destinations.  If you want an extra special racing experience, why not spend some time acclimatising before racing at altitude.  Good options include BolderBOULDER 10km and the Leadville 100 Trail in Colorado, the Sedona Marathon and Flagstaff Summer Series in Arizona, or the Duke City Marathon in Albuquerque.

Variety

There are a large number of towns and cities at altitude in the West and South Western states, and you shouldn't have too much difficulty finding somewhere at altitude to suit your needs.  If living in a large city is important to you, Albuquerque (NM) should be to your liking, while on the other end of the scale, Mt Laguna (CA), with a population of less than 100, is the perfect retreat for those looking for isolation.

Colorado, as the highest state, has a particularly large number of venues suitable for altitude training, including Boulder (1,655 m), which is probably the most popular, Colorado Springs (1,823 m), which is home to the USOC Altitude Training Centre, Mancos (2,137 m) and Estes Park (2,293 m).  California, too has good variety with the ski resorts of Mammoth Lakes (2,400 m), Lake Tahoe (1,897 m) and Big Bear Lake (2,058 m) offering good facilities and a choice of accommodation in the summer months, and Mt Laguna (1,749 m), a mostly snow-free getaway.  Flagstaff (2,100 m) is Arizona's premier altitude training spot; Park City (2,100 m) in Utah is growing in popularity; and New Mexico's offer includes Albuquerque (1,619 m), Santa Fe (2,134 m), Los Alamos (2,231 m) and Taos (2,124 m).

Outsider magazine recently reviewed their top 10 US altitude training sites.  Their feature can be found here.

I have visited Mammoth Lakes, Flagstaff, Boulder and Albuquerque, and while each has its merits, Flagstaff shone brightest for me.  The town is small enough that you can get by without a car, and you are never more than 50 metres from a trail.  The running community are very friendly, and there are many opportunities to run with the local athletes.  Albuquerque was, for me, the most over-rated, but I'm sure it would have been more appealing if I had stayed in the foothills and had had access to a car.

Mount Laguna is such a top secret training venue that it didn't even get a mention in Notes from Higher Grounds.  However, British steeplechase international Luke Gunn, gave us the low-down during his recent training stint there.

Drawbacks

Cost of living, particularly in ski resorts like Mammoth Lakes, or trendy towns like Boulder, can be high. Accommodation is of a high standard, but can be expensive.  Groceries are a lot more expensive than in Europe, and though eating out is cheap, finding restaurants selling good, healthy food can sometimes be difficult.  Sports massage and gum access can also work out more expensive than back home.

It's very difficult to survive in the US without a car.  Even if there are public transport links, few people know about them, so getting directions by bus or train can be difficult.  The cost of car hire should be factored into your budget.

Athletes planning to race after returning to Europe from the US will have jet lag to overcome.  Travelling east results in more greater jet lag in most people than travelling west, so care should be taken when putting together your race plan.

If you would like to hear more about travelling to and training in Boulder, Albuquerque, Flagstaff or Mammoth Lakes, get yourself a copy of my book, Notes from Higher Grounds: an altitude training guide for endurance athletes here:

Guest Blog 7: Luke Gunn from Mt Laguna

The latest guest blog post is from GB international steeplechaser, Luke Gunn, who is currently training in Mt. Laguna, California.  Luke has represented GB in the 3000m steeplechase at World Junior, European U23, and World University Games, has twice competed at Commonwealth Games, has a personal best of  8:28.48, and is a 4-time British Champion.  He has also represented GB at the European and World Cross Country Championship.  Luke combines athletics with a full-time job at University of Birmingham where he is the Sports Scholarship Manager, and mentors a range of up-and-coming athletes.  He is currently chasing the qualifying standards for this summer's European Championships and Commonwealth Games.

It is great to be in the mountains again, away from the bustling world.

This is my first time in Mt. Laguna, which is just short of an hour's drive from San Diego Airport along the I-8 into the Cleveland National Forest of California. We are only 20 minutes from the Mexican border, a fact which a wrong turn from the airport brought home to us with a bit of a shock.

Mt. Laguna is not a big place at all, unlike a lot of mountain resorts in the United States, this does not get much snow - so has not grown into a ski resort. Wikipedia shows the inhabitants to total 57, but if this is the case then they are excellent masters of disguise - as this is a very quiet corner of the world.

The only other altitude resort I have visited before in California was Mammoth Lakes, which looks like a metropolis in comparison to Laguna, so why have we ventured up here and why should others consider it as a training venue?

Mt. Laguna is elevated at 6,000 ft (1,800 m), which many physiologists agree to be the minimum height an elite athlete should sleep/train at in order to reap benefits of altitude training. Unlike many other altitude resorts, the vast amount of running can be done from the door with no need to drive to trailheads or paths (a big bonus for most runners I know). Also unlike a lot of 'ski resort' options in the U.S. the cost of living is nowhere near as expensive. The main accommodation is the Laguna Lodge, which has many cabins with or without kitchenettes, to rent all year round, which are basic but all you need to survive; and a friendly family run business.

The main attraction and what I believe stands Laguna alone from other altitude venues is that you can drive down to sea level in Lakeside or El Cajon, on the outskirts of San Diego, in just 30-35 minutes. I have never come across a venue that makes live-high, train-low such an accessible option. For this main reason, some elite track runners have been using Laguna to train for nearly 3 decades.

I am here to do exactly that, base myself at a workable altitude at minimal expense around racing the now international races of Payton Jordan Invite, held at Stanford University and the Oxy USA Track and Field meeting in Los Angeles - to try and qualify for the Commonwealth Games and European Championships this summer.

We believe that Irish running legend, Sonia O'Sullivan, discovered Laguna during her running career, and that because of her connection to Melbourne Track Club via her husband, Nic Bideau who is coach and manager to many members of the elite section of this club, and that this is why they use this base every April/May to kick off their main summer season.

We are here now with many member of this group including Australian Olympians Collis Birmingham, Ben St. Lawrence, Ryan Gregson, Geniveve LaCaze and Zoe Buckman. Along with many Irish internationals Paul Robinson, Laura Crowe and Paul Pollock, keeping Sonia's tradition with the location strong.

My wife, Hannah England, and I were connected to this group and the camp through fellow British International, Andy Vernon, who was kind enough to invite us along to experience the magic of Laguna. We have just come back from our first competition of the trip at the Payton Jordan invitational, all of us with good results, but the stand out performance going to Andy Vernon, who ran in an incredible 5,000m that saw 17 guys break 13.30. Andy himself ran a huge personal best of 13.11.50 to improve to joint 5th on the British all-time list!

There are 2 main places to run from the accommodation at Laguna Lodge, the Meadow and along the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail), with many combinations and deviations possible from either of these sites. The PCT is a single track trail that runs from Mexico to Canada, and many hikers can be found along these at weekends and during vacation periods, at times you may well be lucky enough to come along some that are en route to walking the entire length, they will often be bearded men, sometimes barefoot, but I promise, pose no danger to you. This trail is severe in places, with some very tough climbs and descents, but most caution should be given to the uneven surface, which may find out the more delicate of runners.

The Meadow, which is a 2 mile descent from the lodge, offers the flattest running in the area, with a variety of loops to explore. This is where the Melbourne Track Club did there sessions at altitude, with threshold running, hill reps and a combination of both. They limit their sea-level exposure to once a week only at a high school track in Lakeside, to maximise benefits and make use of the terrain to aid their training. Please note it is a 2 mile climb back up from the meadow, so unless you drive down be prepared to work a little on the way home.

Another track which can be utilised is located in nearby Julian, which is a 20 minute drive along the Sunset Highway, dropping down to only 4,500 ft (1,300 m). This track is a little rough in places, but fine for those who do not wish to drop so low, or maybe just to do drills, hurdle walkovers or other technical work. Also at Julian, there is a small gym, which can be used on a fee per service basis ($11 per day) or a monthly membership for $60. Julian, is also a common stop-off point for hikers doing the PCT, and for this reason there are a few bakeries, cafes and pie shops which are worth a visit on the way home from the gym or track.

For me I love here, the weather is good but not too hot, the lifestyle is very relaxed but most importantly I have been welcomed into a group of fellow runners with similar goals, who train hard but know how to relax and wile away the hours between runs - although they seem to have stopped wanting to play me at poker after taking all their money, whoops!

Many of the group are running at the Oxy High Performance meeting on May 15th, at which point I will have to say goodbye to Mt. Laguna and the United States for another year to get home to race the rest of the season; which will hopefully include the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and European Championships in Zurich.

Thanks to Luke for taking the time to share his experiences, and to give such a comprehensive account of all that Mt. Laguna has to offer.

Photos to follow.

Ethiopia by Picture

I've had a fantastic time in Sululta, and to make the end of another great trip, here are a series of photos with commentary and observations.

Yaya Village was a truely special place to stay, and I am grateful to them for providing accommodation for the duration of my trip.

We managed to fill a lot of our time with training, sleeping and eating (consuming seven slices of bread for breafast takes time!), but our occassional journeys outside the camp were always interesting, enjoyable and action packed.  The Ethiopian roads are like a playground in themselves.

The road that climbs from Addis Ababa to Sululta, continues north to the Ethiopia's famous historic sites, including the ancient cities of Gondor, Auxm and Lalibella. The historic route is marked by these carvings, just a few kilometres from the capital.

Interestingly, there's also a 'Coca-cola' carving above these.  They really do get everywhere!

And there are always lots of donkeys.

And the animals are so used to sharing the road that they seem immune to the traffic.  This cow had made a couple of attempts to cross the road before deciding she wanted to live another day. (This is the main road between Addis Ababa, the capital, and the port in Djibouti.)

Animals are commonplace on the quieter roads.

Animals weren't the only obstruction during our trip to Bekoji, and even after leaving the main road, we had lots of people and other vehicles to contend with.  These slow moving Bajajs were particularly plentiful in the towns and villages along the way, and seem to pull out at any moment. 

But as I mentioned in a previous post, it's not all bad, and you do get miles and miles of views like these:

Even in the cities, the views are interesting.  The shops are very different to back home, and you're never sure what unusual scene you're going to find

Even the simple act of taking a taxi can be an adventure.  A few days ago we hired a minibus to take us into the city, wait for us while we did a few errands, and then take us back to the camp.  Little did we think that the 800 birr we were to pay would also buy us a life-time of entertainment.  Over employment is a common feature in Ethiopia, and not only did we have a driver, but we also had three assistants (there was only 4 of us).  It seems that when a vehicle is moving in Ethiopia, everyone comes along for the ride.  Or at least they do when there might be girls to be looked at!

The running options offer lots of variety too.

Sululta is surrounded by dirt roads and Eucyplyts forests which are great for training

The locals simply zigzag over and back in single file through the forest, sometimes at speed, sometimes at snails pace.  We tucked in behind one day, unsure whether the athletes appreciated being followed or not, but it wasn't long till the tail of their train started pointing out the obstructions to us with their useful hand signals.  It's amazing how interesting they can make an easy 30 minute run through a small forest.

But when running over and back through the same forest is just too much, Satellite Field provides plenty of variety.  Besides sharing the field with cattle, donkeys, other runners, and, on Sundays, thousands of aspiring football players (note the simple goal posts), it's a perfect place to train.

After running through the forests and across satellite field on several occasions, I was pleasantly surprised by this view on my long Sunday morning run.

The children love being photographed ...

... and then looking at themselves onscreen.

This group of boys in Bekoji were more than happy to do the Usain Bolt arms for me

When I last visited Ethiopia, I noted that it was developing at a very fast rate, and that development seems to be continuing, at least in the city.  True the fields are still being ploughed with oxen and wooden ploughs, but new highways, apartment blocks and shops are springing up across the city.  Sululta has obviously developed considerably in recent years, and none of the camps or hotels were there when I visited in 2010. The track too is new.

Despite the development, the building methods are still primitive, and I didn't see a single metal piece of scaffolding in the whole city.  I'm not sure this scaffolding would pass Irish health and safety regulations

I leave you with this picture of Addis Ababa, taken from the road to Sululta, and urge any of you wishing to taste Ethiopia for yourself, to take the plunge and go on your own African adventure.

You won't regret it!

Meeting Haile

They say you should never meet your heroes; they’ll never live up to your expectations!  Well this morning I had little choice.  Just after I sat down for breakfast, Haile started waving and calling me over.  I hope that I didn’t disappoint!

Seriously though, Haile Gebrselassie is one of few people that I’ve ever really wanted to meet, and I was disappointed not to have met him when I visited Ethiopia in 2010.  I did ‘race’ against him in the Great Birmingham run in 2011, but was just behind the elite startline, so that doesn’t really count.  This morning we had a quick chat about training, the weather, and his impending task of pacing the new breed of marathon runners in London in two week’s time.  But the moment was extra special because I didn’t have to go up to him and feel like I was making a nuisance of myself.  He was the one that initiated the interaction.

He said that he can't train as long as he used to - anything more than two hours is too much for his ageing body!  Or maybe having pizza for breakfast is begining to take its toll (well it was my breakfast time, so I can only presume it was his too).

What a hero!

A scene from Jerusalem and a trip through Nazreth

Pat turned to us and said, ‘It’s just like a scene from The Bible!’

He was so right!  As we looked down from the steps onto the surrounding churchyard, it seemed like we’d been transported 2,000 years back in time.  Give or take a bit of concrete, it was what you’d have expected Jerusalem to have been like around the time of Jesus ... people dressed in long white robes and long white shawls ... chunks of bread and alms being distributed to the poor and the disabled ... the elderly on wooden crutches and walking sticks that could easily have been centuries old .... sheep, goats and donkeys wandering freely outside ...

This is Entoto, one of Ethiopia’s most secret mountains.  The hill which rises to 3,200 m above sea level, overlooks Addis Ababa, the sprawling capital, to the south, and Sululta, and Yaya Village where I’m staying, to the north west.  The eucalyptus forests which stretch across Entoto and the surrounding hills are one of the most popular training grounds of Ethiopia’s illustrious distance runners.

As we make our way down the rocky road from Entoto, we stop to take in the view.  We spot satellite field, the large flat grass area which is also popular among the athletes, and where we have been doing most of our training.  The field is easy to spot thanks to the large adjacent satellite dish that gives the area its name.  Sululta looks so flat from here.  It’s difficult to believe that it sits at 2,800 m above sea level.

I previously visited Ethiopia in November 2010; a visit which incorporated participation in the Great Ethiopian Run and some research for Notes from Higher Grounds.  I felt then that I hadn’t fully explored the running options that Ethiopia has to offer, and when an opportunity arose to stay at Yaya Village in Sululta, just 11 km north of Addis Ababa, I had to take up the offer.  As soon as I had the price of the flight put together, and a three week gap in my schedule, I headed back to Africa.

Yaya Village opened in 2011.  It is a 4-star resort co-owned by Ethiopian-born Canadian international athlete Joseph Kibur, and the man who needs no introduction, Haile Gebrselassie.  The rooms are among the best I’ve stayed in, and the food is very, very good indeed.  Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the atmosphere is relaxed and peaceful.  The gym is perfect for serious athletes, and there is a soft tartan track, owned by Kenenisa Bekele, just a few minutes away.  The running options in the vicinity are very good, with a mixture of forests and open grassland, and the occasional incline to negotiate.

The accommodation block at Yaya Village

The best bit is that Elaine, an old friend of mine from university, and her boyfriend, Pat, also happen to be, purely by coincidence, staying at Yaya Village at the moment.  Together we’ve been exploring the sites of Addis, availing of the novel entertainment options on offer, and reminiscing about old times.

Our best outing to date was probably the one that cost the least.  For about €3, the three of us managed to punch in a very enjoyable Saturday afternoon in Sululta, not previously known as an entertainment hot spot.  We enjoyed tea, coffee, and popcorn, which forms part of the Ethiopian traditional coffee drinking ceremony, in a local restaurant, before heading across the road to a cafe that was showing the Chelsea v Arsenal game.  There, for less than 10p each, we got to take our place on a wooden stool in a room of spectators fixated on the final 30 minutes of the action.  Football spectating in Ethiopia is very different from the alcohol-fuelled chaos of the UK and Ireland.  All goal attempts were applauded though it was evident that most of the audience were Arsenal supports, the referee wasn’t booed once (though it must be said that we weren’t there for the sending off, and case of mistaken identity), and the fans seemed genuinely interested in the football and were obvious supporters of the game.  Finally, inspired by the action, we purchased a football from a small stand up the road, and tried it out when we got back to the camp.

One of the main items on my agenda during this visit to Ethiopia was to make the trip to Bekoji.  The small town, located some hours south east of Addis, has produced an array of Olympic champions, world record holders and world-class distance runners, including Tirunesh, Ejigayehu and Genzebe Debaba and Kenenisa and Tariky Bekele.  It is essentially Ethiopia’s answer to Iten, and after seeing the Town of Runners, a feature-length documentary on the area, I wanted to see why the place was so special.  On Tuesday, we finally made the trip.

Any journey on African roads is hectic, but this one was particularly noteworthy.  The six-hour trip was alternatively terrifying and spectacular; simultaneously exhausting and exhilarating.  I have long wondered why our local road has no road markings; noting to remind drivers to stay to their own side of the road.  Having seen major roads between Ethiopian cities without these necessary markings, I may scale back my ‘dotted white lines for Irish country roads’ campaign.  A new expressway is due to open along much of this section of road in coming months, which will greatly improve the situation, but in the meantime, drivers must share this dangerous roadway with all manner of animal, continue to pass overloaded HGVs on blind bends, and utilise their obvious nerves of steel.

On Ethiopian roads, the way ahead is not always clear ...

... but when it is, the scenes are both beautiful and interesting.

Though there are obvious disadvantages, riding up front also had is perks, and I feel that I had the best view of the spectacular countryside as we made our way from Addis, through Debre Zeyit and Modjo to Nazreth, and along somewhat quieter roads through Asalla before arriving in Bekoji just before dusk.  There were baboons, goats in the middle of the road, and cows with a complete immunity to traffic and donkeys which appear to work harder than anywhere on earth.  There was a lot of decending and climbing – resulting in just over a 100 m gain in altitude, and scenery which changed multiple times from mountainous to hilly to pancake flat.  The trip may have been long, but it was never boring.

Yesterday morning we got to observe the ‘gymnastics’ session of Bekoji’s main group of athletes, meet with the famous coach Sentayehu Eshelu, and take a short run along the dirt roads, and steep hills of the town.   An impromptu sprint race from the visiting ferengies brought adoring cheers from the spectating locals, but I have a feeling they have little to fear in terms of athletic competition.  After a quick breakfast, there was only one thing left to do – make the trip back to Sululta!

The beautifully coordinated drills for which the Ethiopians are famous

My first 10 days have flown by, but there have been many high points.  A ‘carry-on’ coffee episode made me laugh so hard that I almost cried, Ian’s close call with the Ethiopian police has been the source of endless banter, and I learned that Ethiopians have a novel, but straightforward, way of distinguishing their men from their women.  I have met more world-class athletes than I care to count, got a great new perspective of the country, and had plenty of time to relax and enjoy my time away.  There has, of course, been plenty of training, lots of eating, and a little bit of tanning.  Too soon, it’ll all be over.