#olympusvertical

Still working on getting my leg back to running shape after the @olympusmarathon and #olympusvertical last week in Greece 🇬🇷. . In the meantime, here’s some great pics from the VK, it was a beautifully warm day 😅. . #mountainrunning #trailrunning #running #mountains #hiking #skyrunning #explore #exploregreece #adventure (at Olympus Mountain Paths) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzqf53zgR6O/?igshid=kyx7wi6wzmcd

Turns out that I love @SkyRunning ! Really enjoyed the @OlympusMarathon - the mountain is epic! . After Friday’s #OlympusVertical I had a little feeling in my left tib ant, which I was a worried about but figured it would subside after I got going. On the morning of the #OlympusMarathon I started off well, building solidly through the first 6k road/easy trail section. As we moved into the single track I found I was able to run a lot of it, the vert training paid off despite not having any faster work yet-only steady hiking for ultra-pace. The leg didn't get better but when we picked up the poles at KM10.5 it made things easier, and again I felt great moving quickly up the steep sections and relaxing a bit on the steadier grades. I was moving so well that I was confused about what aid station was what because I was so far ahead of pace-suddenly we were starting the descent! My legs were not fast or agile on the downs, and I had a couple falls. Basically what happened was that I ended straining my left calf while compensating for the fact that I couldn’t pick up my left foot. So after a while I was reduced to hobbling because I couldn't put any weight on that leg. Thank god for the @leki poles or I'd still be up there (not joking). . I hobble/limped to the first aid station on the descent at "Refuge A" where the medics were concerned, but there wasn't really much option but to descend down to Prionia anyway, so I told them I was gonna keep moving to see if it eased up. It didn't. . By the time I got to Prionia they didn't even give me an option, they just took my number and told me to get in a car and go back to Litochoro 🤣. Not having the option to continue was nice. . Overall it was very positive in that I felt fit, had fun, raced hard and felt that my training had been successful. The lesson learned is that training for an Ultra, then switching to the VK and Marathon on back-to-back days without training for that type of intensity may not have been the best idea! Thanks to the amazing staff at @GloriaSportsArena I’m already moving forward- turns out I had some edema build up after the VK causing a compartment syndrome, shutting down muscles that move my foot. (at Olympus Paths - Mt Olympus - Greece) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzX9-cIg-_S/?igshid=1rsnuz1luw1ba