December 2010

Boavista (Cape Verde)
HEALTH GOAL ... ... what is more

This year, I decided to research the health of the target at all costs ...
Boavista 152km non-stop in semiautosufficienza, with lots and lots of sand, gravel, cobblestones, rocky and stony to overcome the ever-changing terrain underfoot. Vintage
record, not only for the rains of the previous month, which made the island a long desert and yellow, and greenish desert, but also for the record heat wave ... instead of the usual 26/28 degrees, we ended up in run with 36/38 degrees, just 10 more normal.
Unfortunately, these type of races the uncertainties, surprises, and mistakes can be committed are many, not as a 10km events in the city center, with refreshments and beverages biscuits flag bearers to help you out, here you need to bring food (at least 4,000 calories) that you can not change during the race and if you're wrong ... I'm trouble, and you must also be attentive to the way forward, do not say that at night, especially, need help with the stars ... but should not distract too much unless you want to make dozens of miles more.
At the start we are all quiet, there are some early morning clouds that will help us for the first 20 km and then abandon us to our destiny and the challenge with the heat sun.
each following their own tactics: those strong party, who plan, those who follow a regular rhythm
then we'll see ... I felt good, his legs turned, I go to a medium pace, trying to save my legs for the night and the final, where if you saved her legs and energy you can recover several hours and locations, I was going through unique landscapes of breathtaking beauty, and I did my camera often pauses to capture those places, those moments, those feelings, I did not know if I would have never relived.
Perhaps this distraction, this focus more on the beauty of those places, crossed all alone, with only the sound of the ocean that shattered on the rocks, the wind that touched and moved the few leaves and bushes that I encountered on my path, and every so often to the goats and wild donkeys that you met and you looked like I was some strange animal that instead of progressing slowly light running and passing heavily sinking in the sand or buff stumbling in rocks. Or
my error "fatal" was to hear me too well ...
So much so that, instead of starting to ingest the food right away so as not to close the stomach (a major cause of recalls in this course) I tried to eat after 5 hours of racing on the 4th checkpoint on the way (that you should not miss, otherwise waiting for you 4 hours of penalty) ... rookie mistake, because I could not swallow even a measly piece of bread. Allocation to the 5th checkpoint, waiting for me 5 km of beach and reef 8 on dirt, but already trying to reach it, the stomach refuses to swallow even water ...
5 th check point: I sit down for a moment to see if I can solve the problem, try eating a banana, which was inside the backpack ... strangely goes down, I rise po'il a moral, but it's a fluke ... just one minute later put it back ... I say ok , we share and see what happens at the next check.
I expect the 15km long beach Santa Monica beach ... that alone is worth the whole trip to get there.
before me in a completely deserted beach, made of fine sand of gold, and small dunes ... to my left a vast ocean blue green with blue tones that alternated in its waves and noisy
to my right a large desert plain , made unusually green from recent rains, and some mountains in the background far from bare moonscape. These 15 km I have enjoyed them until the last meter, listening to the nature around me, and enjoy the great isolation from the rest of the world you have in those moments, the only thing that distracted me was the strange crabs, some small non- larger of a fingernail, that went fast. (if I was racing so fast I came in first ... hehe) and some are very large (more than one hand) who had a strange crest on the green armor. In the mid-beach I pass two friends (Jack and Adrian) at that time to be a bit 'faster and I let them go, then I realize I do not stray more than 200 meters, so in spite of everything I'm still traveling at a decent pace . All these distractions they will certainly help you get the 6th checkpoint, without even being able to drink some water (if I tried to drink my stomach immediately remitted), and seeing that I was fine and I was still lucid (thankfully) I kept wetting the hat to keep cool head ... and the mind, not forgetting that I was traveling under a sun of 38 degrees.
After less than 10 hours prior to departure, I get to control n.6, I sit down for a bit 'on the ground to figure out what to do, physically, legs and head are still good, but I realize that I can not pretend to me other 18/20 hours without eating, but especially without drinking, I stand about 1 hour and sometimes I try to drink, but mathematically remit immediately. Some tell me allocation equally then you'll see ... but I decided that my health was worth more than a few tens of kilometers that I could do without drinking, then maybe risk a physical collapse.
From then on the path I can not tell, but must be other stories from miles and miles that you can taste adventure and unspoiled eyes.
I preferred to bring home the memory of polished mileage, memories that will always remain in me, rather than having to return home with memories of a few km more facts in a state of not even knowing where I was past and what I saw.
Since my body was still intact, the same day I called the president of Pol.Madonnina, asking him to join the marathon of Reggio Emilia that there would be after 7 days, maybe I was a bit 'to vent anger error done at the level of food in the Boa Vista Ultramarathon.
Thursday returned to Italy, a small sgambatina, Sunday immediately at the start of the marathon of Reggio, with the idea to do it in peace, have also seen the miles and hours after a few days earlier. Then instead of a surprise (even on my part) I finish with the discrete time ... 3,13.47. maybe sometimes, there's something that makes you more of the training towards the goal.