Some runners still face physical consequences after the race.
One month after participating in the World Skyrunning Championships in Italy, the Costa Rican mountain sports delegation took a deeper look at their performance on Italian soil. In addition, two of the runners are still reeling from the physical consequences of the last race of the aforementioned world championship, the 31 kilometer Sky. They are the captain of the team, Natalia Rodriguez, and Fernanda Torres. Rodriguez continues to have vision issues and Torres has a string of stomach issues, dizziness and a slight knee problem.
Prior to a lunch organized by the Costa Rican Institute of Sports and Recreation as a tribute to the native of the Capicar region of Sitio Gilda de Talamanca, Noyle Salazar, UNIVERSIDAD obtained an exclusive with almost the entire delegation except for Jeremy Quesada and Juan Ramón Fallas to who made the distance and difficult situation of the two main highways from the capital to the region It is impossible for them to appear in the facilities of the National Stadium.
Below is the interview given to UNIVERSITY in which they explain in detail how they were prepared, their conclusions and what races they each plan to close their season with.
“We all need more training, but none of us are professional or toast and we have to work,” Eric Aguero.
How were the preparations for the World Cup and what impressions did they leave on you?
ーNatalia Rodriguez (NR): In my case, I’ve been ramping up training seven days a week for several months. I would go to the mountains on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays; Tuesday and Thursday I tracked the route and the other two days, between 12 and 15 kilometers.
In terms of racing, in my opinion it was very technical, there was a lot of rock and because I’m not skilled there, I lost a lot of time. On the climb I felt very comfortable, but obviously the level was very difficult, not all the athletes we participated in the same events, so there is no warm-up.
Sometimes one goes out and makes a big difference with the athletes from here and in the world championships the level was very high, I ran full speed throughout the race and it was something I wasn’t used to. I think my teammates had an excellent result and I personally had vision problems that caused me to lose positions, but for the rest I think we did well.
ーLauren Navarro (Netherlands): It was very good, and it was very difficult for me because I have to get ready at 3 am since I started work at 7 am. Only on Sundays he climbed into the mountains 30 or 40 kilometers, and on other days he had to train in an area that was not too dangerous.
I prepared well and the race was very difficult due to the weather and terrain that we don’t have in Costa Rica, but I feel we did well despite everything. I thank Natalia and the other colleagues for being there at every moment, every word of support, and everything we’ve been through. Yes, we should prepare better.
ーEric Aguero (EA): Like Lorena, my preparation took place Monday through Friday near my home in Guadalupe, and on Saturdays and Sundays I had already traveled a few kilometers, but surely no matter how well we prepared, we found another fact, especially the weather, I suffered but thoroughly enjoyed it.
I’m happy everyone, the sky, the vertical kilometer, but I’m definitely very happy with what Lorena and I went through, because we had a really bad time with the weather but we managed to finish it. This team did things excellently, the seven of us warmed up really well and there was a lot of camaraderie.
ーFernanda Torres (ft): Take a period and follow a plan to get the most out of each exercise. I had some physical issues even months before the World Cup, but the preparation was thorough for the vertical kilometer. I had stomach issues in the 31 kilometer race which prevented me from finishing the competition, I could only walk 10 kilometres; They even went on, but I think the important thing is the feedback and learning, not just mathematically but personally, and I think it went well for all of us because the effort comes from years, everyone has their own resources, and it was like studying for an exam, arriving and asking completely different questions. . For me it was a pleasure to see we all do everything we can with what we have.
ーNoel Salazar (NS): I could only train sometimes Sunday and Saturday, sometimes anytime, Thursday and Friday when I had the chance, if I wasn’t going to leave my girls, I would train, but I only train two days a week, from two to four. Half an hour to four hours. We were not very well prepared for the World Cup, we went more or less, and as a month went by, we went to finish the preparations and there the terrain was tough, with a lot of rocks, with a lot of ups and downs, a lot. It was a lot of loose stones and it was very difficult for me to go down and climb as well. That’s why I’m tired after 12 kilometers from the sky. After more than 5km we were going down I felt pretty good but I got tired and couldn’t take it anymore because the 31km run and I thought it was in Costa Rica but no and it turned out bad for me. The vertical line is only 3.8 km long, but it is very difficult to climb, it is only 1 km, but it is difficult to reach the finish line and with less than 1 km I can not take it anymore. But thank God I managed to finish the races well.
I have already said that there are no mountains in Costa Rica like the ones I found in Europe, but are there similar mountains in any other country in America?
ーAE: It could be in the United States.
ーNS: I don’t know, but here in Costa Rica there is none. I think it is in other countries, but it is difficult to train and compete in other countries.
ーFoot: Peru, but many things differ, not only the terrain but the climate; It is dry. Technically, the United States and Peru, but because of the climate is also different, so something very similar is not.
ーNR: It is a dry and pure stone. Here in Costa Rica, the technique is Chirripó, when the weather is bad and it’s pure mud. There is no mud in Europe, everything is very dry, so one says that and people here say “Ah, no, that’s easier”. It was crossing stones and we are unaccustomed to this aspect.
Another aspect, Noel and I lack a lot of blur. Noel put himself very well on the road but his strength waned. As a nutritionist, I can say he needs to eat more, but I went out to the max, and the same thing happened to me, there came a time when he didn’t work out anymore.
And in Chirripó we ran together, but we just had a fight; At the World Cup we had 20 top athletes and I went with a group of girls and sometimes I said ‘I can’t keep up with this pace anymore’ but I was late 10 more times and if I stopped I was 10 places. We were moving at a strong pace that we are not used to here.
What upcoming races are you preparing for?
ーNS: I’m getting ready for Chirripó and one in Cartago on November 6th, but I’m coming off the flu and depending on how I feel I’ve been training all week for Paso Marco or Quetzal.
ーAE: The Prussian race on October 22, 14 kilometres. El Indio on November 6, 62 kilometers and then closed the year with Moon Run on December 17, 62 kilometers.
ーNR: In my case, 50 kilometers from Puerto Vallarta from the UTMB series, on October 29th. I’m negotiating with my coach in Prussia, wrapping up the year with Moon Run.
ーLN: I’m getting ready for the El Indio race, and if I can, the Moon Run.
ーFoot: I’m thinking about doing Ultra Tec, but seeing the distance, and now I’m in the process of doing various physical adjustments because of what happened to me in Italy and to prevent a recurrence of the knee injury that I’ve come off of.
What is the main lesson of the World Cup and the improvement points for the future World Cup?
ーNR: Improve the technical part and start running on the rocks, although running on that terrain twice before the race will make you feel more comfortable. And reach more quickly to face the elite runners.
ーAE: What we all lack is more spaces. The problem is that between us we run the same races all the time and we all already know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. The blanks are pretty good but here comes the other part. None of us are professionals or elites. We all have to work. Or we train at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m., or later, but we still have to work. The economic part is very important and unfortunately we do not live in a country with a sports culture in sports other than football. Maybe look for a warm-up in Mexico, cheap, to go and compete and come back.