Avevo proprio voglia di buttare giù "due righe" per raccontare quello che è stato il mio mondiale dei 100 km a Torhout in Belgio, lo scorso 19 giugno.
Vorrei però prendere questo racconto un po' alla larga, descrivendo cioè, quella che è stata in sintesi la mia preparazione.
Preparazione alquanto problematica a causa di fastidiosi e lunghi infortuni che mi hanno colpito dalla fine di gennaio in poi.
L'ultima settimana of January I had a strong resentment at the base of the common hamstring tendon that had already damaged two years ago, where there is little that calcification is formed, often, especially when it's cold and damp, the pain becomes quite strong , so as to prevent me from working out.
quell'infortunio recovered after a week of full stop, I Went down into in training, the first races I had planned this season (and Strasimeno marathon Treviso) were at the gates and I wanted to be there and also be competitive.
How often I have too accelerated recovery times immediately to do several kilometers.
Result? After 4 weeks, eve of Strasimeno, after running an average 170-180 km I have "broken" again and this time in a decidedly more serious.
Tendonitis all'Achilleo right, said the U.S., farewell and goodbye Strasimeno Treviso.
quell'infortunio I was stopped for almost a month and a half recovering on training just before Easter.
E 'was a very bad period, especially the first few days, I was pissed off black and a little' depressed.
I thought of the world in June, the fact that there would come ready or that I would not have come at all.
I was ashamed of feeling so down! Basically I was just tendinitis that the rest would be gone sooner or later: "The real sofferenze sono altre!", mi ripetevo, ma il mio umore non migliorava di certo.
Poi qualcosa nella mia testa è scattato; ho iniziato a non pensare più all'infortunio, al mondiale e alle gare ma solo a come fare per guarire il più velocemente possibile e a farmi trovare in buona condizione nel momento in cui avessi potuto riprendere a correre.
Ho iniziato quindi tutta una serie di terapie con tecar, laser, osteopata, argilla, arnica omeopatica, ghiaccio....
Tutto il poco tempo libero che avevo lo passavo a curarmi meglio che potevo (vi lascio immaginare quanto ho speso!).
Mi sono allenato tutti i giorni per 3 ore con bici da spinning, nuoto, pesi, stretching e lavori propriocettivi to strengthen the ankles.
especially begin to feel better mentally and occasionally threw in a little 'treadmill (not more than 10') to test the tendon that hurt.
In the second week of April I managed finally to make the first miles on the road without pain.
For one week I raced a little (8-10 km / day) at very mild (4'15 "-4 '20" / km) but without pain, it seemed that what she was finally solved.
Honestly in that time I completely changed my plans competitive.
I had decided to renounce the world because I had no time to prepare as deserved to be prepared, and for that I had already talked to the technicians of jute, which had, however, also said that if not taken away the post to someone, I would have gone anyway in Belgium, as a backup to run 40-50 km and help, acting as a hare, my team-mates.
We then decided to wait a week to see how my workouts were distributed.
workouts that started for me in an unexpected way: I find it hard, the rhythms were not obviously exceptional, the heart rates were high but ..... much, much better than what I expected.
Every day that passed I felt better, the rhythms became more brilliant and fatigue decreased.
Il 01 maggio ho corso la mia prima gara della stagione: "l'Ora di Martellago", organizzata dal mio gruppo podistico il Brema Running Team.
Ho corso quell'ora a 3'31,5" di media arrivando secondo a pari merito con il mio compagno di club Ferruccio.
Quella gara è stata la svolta che mi ha dato fiducia; due giorni dopo ho affrontato il primo lungo da 60 km corso a 4'07" di media, finendo distrutto ma consapevole che forse, poter sperare di partire per il mondiale con la speranza di poterlo anche finire, non era più un'utopia.
Da lì sono seguiti altri lunghissimi: 2 da 40 km (di cui uno corso da mezzanotte alle 02:40), 2 da 60 km (l'ultimo corso dalle 19:30 alle 23:30), due maratone (Sommacampagna e Jesolo) e tanti altri lavori che mi hanno portato a correre una media di 175 km a settimana con un paio di punte a 200 km.
Iniziavo anche a pensare che, oltre a finirlo, forse, potevo addirittura scendere sotto le 07 ore e dare un valido contributo anche per la classifica a squadre.
La riprova che la condizione era buona l'ho avuta una settimana prima del mondiale, quando ho corso una gara di 10 km "abbondanti" a Mestre ad una media di 3'15" al km (da Garmin...).
Non ci volevo credere! Mai avevo corso a quei ritmi per più di un paio di km; forse, ho pensato, era la testimonianza che stavo davvero bene.
Fin qui il prima del mondiale; ci tenevo a raccontarlo perchè è stato un avvicinamento "tribolato" che lo ha comunque segnato, sia nel bene che nel male.
I due giorni precedenti la gara sono stati stupendi.
Lo stare insieme ai miei compagni di nazionali, alle persone che ci hanno accompagnato, ai tecnici e dirigenti, è stata un'esperienza umana incredibile.
In stanza eravamo in 5 (io, Andrea Rigo, Francesco Caroni, Pio Malfatti e Silvio Bertone); eravamo praticamente uno sopra l'altro in spazi ridotti ma nessuno si lamentava, anzi! Ci bastava essere lì, insieme, a raccontare delle nostre sensazioni ed emozioni, a farci coraggio e a consigliarci.
Avevo una sensazione strana: ero tranquillissimo! Non mi era mai capitato to be so peaceful a world first, I was sleeping all the time, I was fine, no hassle, no agitation.
I tried to analyze the why of this thing, probably because it is a miracle had taken me to be there to accept whatever I had picked up during the race, also an all time high, the only thing that was refused a new collection but I also knew that all I could do in two months that I was trained, I had done very well.
For once, I had no expectations, I just had a clear tactical picture: from 4 'to the miles and keep that pace for at least 60 km, if we had during the last 40 miles to 4'30 ", I would have finished in less 7 hours.
My serenity was also given to other factors, but these are too intimate to be told.
At 20.00 on Friday 19 June, in an incredible mess, we left for this new adventure.
The first km, I have a little '"outgassing" (as he says Armuzzi): 3'43 "!
I ran behind Calcaterra wanted to know at what pace set the race and I knew right away: too fast for me!
SGAS Some have even more: the coiner of the term, Antonio Armuzzi that if we ran the first thousand to 3'43 ", he certainly run it close to the 3 ' 20 "since it already was hard to see him.
Shortly after I reached Francis Caroni 4 or 5 along with other athletes, including the scedese Buud then come second.
After 3 km there Armuzzi head, followed by Oralek (50 km to the winner of last year Romagna), a small group with Calcaterra, two Japanese, English Jimenez (3 rd to the world of Tarquinia), a Brazilian, a Pole, a Canadian and a few dozen yards behind, and Francis I with the Swede.
We see that before we slow down and stretch a bit 'to be reunited with George, especially because, so would being more sheltered from the wind blowing at that moment piuttoso strong.
km take that to 3'50 "and we queued, it is a race a little ' nervosa, continue to tear, English and Japanese are the two most "enterprising" but also sometimes increases Giorgio, Francesco and I are always in the belly of the group and suffer a bit 'acceleration.
George tells me that it is not so well, that has stomach problems and would need to stop ..... are!
After about 10 km there is an acceleration of the group that broke George, Francis and I remain behind together with the Swedish and we settled down to a pace of 3'56 "-3 '57" at km.
front of the pace drops again, we will always be there to 70-80 meters.
The Swede is always in the wake and not a change, I feel the need to stop to pee.
I remember the need that was also George, decided to extend both to earn those seconds that I'm stopping, that to reach the bunch of Calcaterra. Francesco
notice not to follow because then I would stop after a mile.
accelerate and run that kilometer 3'42 ", I reach those in front and I say to George:" As soon as I find a place where there's people I stop to pee, if you still need to stop you do that then we return together! "
He agrees and after a little stretched 'we stopped behind a low wall, there was nobody there, there was only a television crew that has taken over the scene with us in shorts lowered to leave the stomach and bladder.
What a shame!
did what we had to do, Francis also joins us with the usual Swedish ones in front of us took just 100 meters.
begin tracking and for a couple of miles we are together, then George has once again stretched because we were taking the pace (3'55 "/ km) was too narrow for him.
In a few hundred meters reaches Meanwhile, the group in front where the brawl broke out when they saw Calcaterra stopped.
I'm staying with and Caroni Buud.
Francis Unfortunately, he also struggling with stomach problems had to give up the pace and I find myself alone with the Swedish begins instead to increase.
After just over 20 km I find myself alone! And there I think I started my real race.
I was not afraid to run only run as always by himself in training.
My focus was placed on the run in 4'00 "at km effortlessly, in as loose as possible.
And so I did! I was fine, I was calm, his legs turned, I saw in the distance is always the Swede , both the Polish and English.
Towards the 35th km, passing the Polish firm for a pit stop, at that time I was 9 °, in front of me Armuzzi, Oralek, the two Japanese, Brazilian, Calcaterra, and Jimenez Buud.
I was thinking about the team championship; se Armuzzi e Calcaterra tenevano fino alla fine, l'oro mondiale era assicurato sempre che io fossi arrivato alla fine in quella posizione.
Arriva il passaggio alla maratona: 02h48'02"!
Perfetto! Il tempo che speravo! Anche se, ad essere sincero, c'era qualcosa che non mi quadrava dato che il Garmin mi dava ogni 5000 metri segnati dall'organizzazione, 60-70 metri in più.
Alla fine il GPS ha segnato la gara lunga 101 km e 130 metri (e non solo a me ma a tutti quelli che avevano il satellitare).
Verso il 45° km, trovo fermo a "scaricare" anche lo spagnolo Jimenez.
Ora sono 8°, passo al 50° km in 03h19'30" ed intanto inizia ad essere buio pesto.
The path is not well lit, especially in open country.
Running in the dark I do not like that much, not because I'm used to always work out at lunch time, I have no sense of rhythm, I think I'm going to go fast, and instead plan.
At that moment I was thinking just to get to 60 km in 4 hours and then split to start another race, the more mental, especially the one where you go forward with the force of the head, the one where you're willing to withstand even the pain stronger legs and the first hints of cramps.
Yeah! Cramps, I had a crazy fear that I recur, I never finished a 100 km without suffering, and I had always conditional negative even when things went well.
currently do not suffer, I listened constantly, trying to perceive every sign that the body was sent to me.
were still positive signs.
At one point I see a little Italian jersey in front of me and George.
reached him quickly, is in great difficulty, dragging, I ask him if makes me to tag along to go along, I do not respond or at least I do not understand his answer, let along 100 meters and then give up.
"We hope to be able to get to the end, it is still a long way to begin to suffer."
This was my first thought, then I reflect on the fact that maybe he was pagnado the smugglers or intestinal problems that he had, he had been drained of energy.
At that point the 7th though, not long after, the restaurant where there was Andrea Rigo told me they were 5 °.
Fifth? How can I be the 5th? I have lost two on the street? In fact, one I had lost along the way, Armuzzi! I passed and I have not even noticed.
Antonio then stop for a contraction in the buttock.
Antonio then stop for a contraction in the buttock.
The other, which I counted but that the staff did not see blue, was the Brazilian who had entered the race and was not open then rank (he jumps in the air just ahead). After 5 km
overcomes Oralek in great difficulty, and are now the 4th European on the podium (I would be silver).
The transition at 60 km is 03h59'48 ": excellent!
Just like I wanted to get to that point of the race in those conditions, by that time even though I imagined so far ahead in the standings.
I decrease the speed and instead marked the Garmin I still 3'58 ", 4'00", 4'02 ", 3'59", I was still on the pace of the first.
The miles passed quickly, but the effort grew, the legs harden.
The true energy found in the dining staff where there was blue, I saw two of these latches Francesco Pio and Diego e la cosa mi è dispiaciuta tantissimo.
Nel punto di ristoro più lontano dal traguardo c'era un grandissimo che mi dava tutti i distacchi, che mi correva dietro fin dove poteva e mi incoraggiava: Mario Ardemagni, uno che il mondiale l'ha vinto nel 2004 con un tempo fantascientifico (06h18').
Nei ristori mi avvisavano che anche Monica stava andando bene nonostante l'infortunio che le era occorso la settimana prima del mondiale.
Anche doppiare le mie compagne di nazionale mi dava energia perchè ad ogni sorpasso seguiva un saluto ed un "Forza Marco, dai...".
Al 74° km, al ristoro dove i nostri erano in maggior numero, Andrea Rigo (un grazie sincero anche a lui) mi dice:"Marco, see you win, you are letting go in front, you are 1'20 "from the first, you got 20 seconds."
I load, I begin to believe it, I see from afar the flashing lights of the brackets that follow the first, but I try to push me say that I should not overdo it, that there are still 25 km, the cramps that are lurking there, and that if ever must be to give them more than I to increase, because otherwise I could pay dearly.
fact is that before did not give in to part one of two Japanese (the strongest on paper), which overcome immediately after passing the line that marked the last round.
83 km I find the 3rd and 2nd in the world to European.
The pace is a bit 'falling, run more toward the 4'10 "to which the 4'00" but I think at that point the race is still a bell'andare also because, while running on those rates would be the final time was very good, even in my own.
I take off from head to resume those in front do not have signs of decline and my separation from them, even if only slightly increases.
I am content! I just have to resist the fatigue and fatigue control and very small, subtle hints of cramps.
Spending rest of Ardelean 89th km, I have those in front to 2'30 ", I say that George is running good and is 5 'from me.
" I must not give up! " mi dico. Dovrei anche fermarmi a fare pipì ma me la tengo stretta per la paura di perdere troppi secondi.
Se corro a 4'10"-4'15" al km, per recuperarmi 5' Calcaterra deve andare a 3'40"-3'45"; onestamente non pensavo fosse possibile anche se da lui c'è da aspettarsi di tutto.
Passo al ristoro di Rigo al 93° km, gli faccio cenno che le gambe ora sono belle rigide e che non posso permettermi di correre più velocemente di 4'10" al km.
Passo il 95° km, oramai ci siamo, penso che salirò sul podio al mondiale e che sto correndo abbondantemente sotto le 06h50'.
Mentre facevo questi pensieri, un treno mi travolge, un treno di nome Calcaterra.
Al 96° km sento un rumore di passi che da dietro si avvicinavano ad una velocità impressionante:"Sarà un tifoso che vorrà incoraggiarmi!" penso ingenuamente.
Non faccio nemmeno in tempo a girarmi che mi vedo SFRECCIARE davanti Calcaterra ad una velocità impressionante, sembrava una MOTO.
Io correvo all'incirca tra i 4'10"-4'12" al km che, al 96° km di una 100 km, è un bell'andare ma davanti a lui ero praticamente fermo.
Spaventoso! A spanne era tranquillamente sotto i 3'30" ed anche di un bel po'!
E' stata una mazzata pazzesca! Mi sono visto sfilare via il bronzo e lì per lì ci sono rimasto decisamente male!
Poi ho iniziato to think that it was better to pass me was an Italian rather than a Russian who still had to beat the world champion in office, what, no bowel problems, he would have won the championship with only one leg, which put my name in ranking just behind that of George was still an honor, thanks to the comeback we could have something big to play in the team standings and still went there on the podium the same even if "only" as a bronze at the European Championship.
Seeing him run so strong, I also thought it might even win and take back those in front.
Seeing him run so strong, I also thought it might even win and take back those in front.
Abandoned negative thoughts, I focused on my race and only on the last kilometers were missing, the rest of the 98 ° km Andrea tells me that I still did a great thing and that it was already done.
Yes! At that point no one could pass me and the finish time was close to 6:45 a.m. '.
not push even more because my legs were pretty bad, I wanted to enjoy the last miles and the entrance to the square packed with people half-drunk.
I saw the show, which marked the stopwatch 06h45'35 ", 36", 37 ", and for a moment I saw Tarquinia, I saw my parents who had stayed at home, all the people who have followed Belgium, which have been outstanding in relief for us not to miss anything and to support us, and I also saw another person who has been critical for me because ottenessi quel risultato
Ho lavorato di fantasia per gli ultimi 50 metri.... I più belli della mia carriera podistica.
Passata la linea ho iniziato a capire cosa davvero avevo fatto! Forse tutt'oggi non me rendo ancora conto completamente.
Penso a come, 5 anni fa, mi sono avvicinato per caso alle 100 km, a come, fino al 2004, avessi più giocato a tennis che corso a piedi e a come la maglia azzura fosse per me una specie di utopia.
Quando l'ho raggiunta per me è stato fantastico, il massimo che potessi ottenere.
E poi...... E poi mi ritrovo quarto al mondo e bronzo europeo con un tempo che faccio ancora fatica a credere: 06h45'38"! Inimmaginabile!
Ed infine la cosa che più sognavo: salire sul podio più alto e sentire l'inno di Mameli (abbiamo vinto il titolo europeo a squadre, secondi al mondiale).
Anche a Tarquinia era successo ma non certo per merito mio ma dei miei fantastici compagni di squadra.
Anche a Tarquinia era successo ma non certo per merito mio ma dei miei fantastici compagni di squadra.
Quell'inno cantato l'ho sentito finalmente anche mio, meritato ed è stata un'emozione che non si può spiegare ma solo vivere.
Di quest'avventura mi rimane un bellissimo ricordo e tanta, tanta nostalgia per 5 giorni fantastici condivisi con persone uniche.
Mi rimane anche la voglia di riprovarci l'anno prossimo con la speranza di rivivere le stesse emozioni e soddisfazioni provate quest'anno.
E mi rimane questo racconto, this trip, which I reread every so often, after all, this is a diary and journals are just that, remember and get excited again.
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