This years course will be something very new for me. My first National team World Championship was held on an uphill only course. The up/down Championship courses are a whole different ball game. Its quite easy to run in a pack uphill being that you are pretty much slogging around at 5-10 mph max I would say, maybe even slower on the super steep sections. However, on the downhill races you most certainly will see some athletes coming faster than 15 MPH. The up/down races are pretty tough and the hardest part about them is the "transition". After going uphill for a few kilometers you must now head downhill for about the same distance. No problem right? After that you must head back up and back down the same loop! For the World Championships you must do 3 loops of this!!
Many great flat land runners have been handed their hearts in races like these. A good example is my good friend Mindaugas. The guy is tough, pure strength. On top of that he has a very solid 2:12 marathon! He ran for his native country Lithuania one year for the European Mountain Championship back a few years ago. European Championships some would argue is similar to USA National Championships in competition in some distinctions. Being that America is probably the largest Mountain Running country at the World Championships. Europeans is much less competitive than the World Mountain Running Championships, but still very good competition from the many small European countries who participate. In some countries mountain running has not been developed quite as good as in America so qualifying for the team requires pretty much a phone call and a request to be on the national team. The pace felt easy so he pushed ahead and by the end of the first lap he found himself up near the front in the European championship. Little did he know, the "transition" would incur the worst feeling a runner can have, "Having the bear on your back". This statement basically characterizes that feeling you get when you have run soooo hard that you have nothing left and all you can do is move slowly as if a bear was on your back. He found himself far back from the winner in that race and said he would never do another one.
You have to be a bit insane to do up/down races as they are quite scary sometimes and pretty dangerous. Your body feels awful the following day as if you were run over by a steam roller. A very good sport to be a spectator as you are almost guaranteed some carnage or exciting action during the course of the race. Lets pray I stay on my feet and help Team USA to another medal this year! The Italians will be tough especially on their home course and in their backyard, but I think we will have one of the toughest groups America has ever put together!
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