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Yesterday I made my first attempt at a full training round in Iztaccíhuatl, trying to do my usual pre-ultra 3-lap climb to Esperanza hut. However, the weather was far more than unstable and all I could do was to manage a single lap to the 4,800-meter mark and get back to the car before conditions got worse.

Got everything in the 3-hour roundtrip: from crusted snow, to spindrift, to strong winds and an upcoming storm which didn’t seem like a fun plan. I was in my mountain running clothes, so it would have been really stupid to get stuck by bad weather at that altitude and without better equipment. I hope next weekend the elements are more stable since it’s my last chance to get some real altitude training before departing to France for the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.

The rest of the photos are here or in the slideshow below:

Last night Octavio and I enjoyed another night of musical mastery by Anathema. The gig actually had 2 bands scheduled for the night, the first one was Anneke van Giersbergen‘s solo project Agua de Annique, of which we haven’t heard any material before but we certainly were very pleased with the quality of their music. After about 1 hour of amazing performance Anneke gave room for Anathema’s show.

To dive into the details of the concert is virtually useless since it’s more than obvious that the gig was everything we could expect. It was divided in 2 parts, the first one consisted of their latest album We’re Here Because We’re Here played in its entirety; the second was a decent set of old songs, some in alternate solo & acoustic versions and an amazing cover of Damien Rice‘s The Blower’s Daughter, for which Anneke jumped into stage to perform the vocals along with Danny. A 3-song encore was the perfect closure for another perfect night of live music.

anathema – summernight horizon

in the moonlight
in the moonlight’s pale embrace
we come to know the space between us
the space between us

dreamlight
dreamlight comes in waves
(the waves within us)
starlight
starlight, silent brakes
(it brakes between us)
to know the space within us
the space within us

in blood red skies
mind takes flight (the sky is falling)
oceans rise
worlds collide
to know the space between us
the space between us

fly
in a dream so high
feel so alive
the world is like a jewel in your eyes
one life
feel it

in the moonlight
the moonlight’s pale embrace
(embrace the feeling)
there is no space between us
no space between us

in blood red skies
tears run dry (the sky is falling)
there is no space between us…

The weather improved a lot during the week. Now the rain has a more precise schedule (in the afternoons), allowing training during the mornings.

After 3 continuous days of running (21 & 16 km of muddy hills, then 25 km of paved hills with Serch), Joan and I teamed up to go to Nevado de Toluca for a great workout. He did laps in his mountain bike while I ran my favorite 28 km running/mountaineering course up and around the mountain.

I shaved off a good amount of minutes from my usual time in the course, logging a total of 6h 28m for the roundtrip. I still had some energy and was thinking about doing another lap up to the main summit but this time via the direct West face ridge. Unfortunately, at the very moment I arrived back to the car, some giant clouds set in to announce an upcoming rainstorm. It was time to jump into the car and go find some tasty lunch…

The rest of the photos are here or in the slideshow below:

The weather this weekend was just as bad as the previous one. Fortunately, this time I opted to stay home and train in my beloved Villa Alpina trail. If the weather was going to suck everywhere, there was no point in making the 2-hour trip to the real mountains…

Nevertheless, I managed to pack 3 continuous days of great training: 21 km of muddy hills on Friday, a 10 km tempo run on Saturday, and another 44 km of muddy hills (half alone, the other half with Serch and the dogs) on Sunday. I’m happy to confirm that sometimes there is no need to go far to get some quality stuff. Like Mark Twight wrote in Extreme Alpinism: Climbing Light, Fast, and High:

Suffering provides the opportunity to exercise will and to develop toughness. Climb on local crags in weather conditions far worse than any you would intentionally confront in the high mountains.

This weekend, the ultra world got the Hardrock fever once again. As every year, I followed closely the race updates via Twitter and barely slept on Friday night while waiting for news on the front runners in their battle to be the first back in Silverton on Saturday morning. All I can say is that this race can’t get any better, as it never disappoints and results can be really unpredictable every year. iRunFar.com has put up a nice roundup of the race and the results. A good read with photos

Today I woke up early and drove all the way Southeast towards Iztaccíhuatl for a little bit of mountaineering. I attempted the main summit via the Ayoloco glacier, however, I had to bail at 4,800m due to bad/unpredictable weather and knee-deep snow that was more like slush. Really insecure and not fun at all

Rest of the photos are here or in the slideshow below:

During the week I had this strong intention to go back to Iztaccíhuatl and get some great training in the mountain, however, a sudden change in my mood on Friday night as well as the prevailing rainstorms convinced me that I should stay home and not force anything. The rainy season seems to be officially in so I think this had to do a little bit with the shift in my spirits. Perhaps it’ll be a few days till I get used to the cloudy & cold weather, but at least it’ll bring life back to the trails. Lets see how it goes…