A couple weekends ago I had the joy of joining German Silva in Toluca for part of his Tune Up Tour 2009. The title “tune up,” however, is quite misleading, because you had better be very finely tuned before you partake in this adventure. The reason I say this is because this particular run is 20km and it goes straight up the side of a volcano, starting at 9,000ft elevation and ending at 12,000ft.
The trip began Friday morning when we left San Luis Potosi for our caravan drive down south. It was interesting to watch green emerge from the red dirt as the landscape changed the further we got from the high desert terrain of San Luis Potosi. Along the way we stopped for lunch at a beautiful hacienda called La Mansion, where we dined in the sunshine surrounded by peacocks.
When we arrived in Toluca, all of us were a little surprised when we were handed a bib number and asked what distance we were racing. German, sporting his signature smile (a mix of wholesome kindness with a touch of mischief), told us not to worry. Then as he whisked us off to lunch, he informed the official we would be doing the longer distance. Although Leo and I thought we were coming to Toluca for a mini-vacation after 5 hard weeks of training, we soon learned that we were taking part in a key training run for many of German’s athletes. Needless to say, we fed ourselves well and headed straight to bed.
“Race” morning began early. We met in the lobby at 7am, and the Americans all hunted for coffee. Then it was into the vans and off to the volcano. We all got a bit nervous when, 30 minutes later, we were still driving up. Tom, my boyfriend, was the most stressed of all. He had arrived in Mexico only a couple days before, but being the “tenacious” guy that he is (Coach Cook's words), he insisted on doing the entire run. The only thing he said on our 45min ride to the starting line…”I think I have a headache”.
The race was an awesome experience. To be fair, German was being honest when he said not to worry. He had given us race numbers to add a little competitive spirit, but in reality the atmosphere was completely fun and supportive: The race began with lots of pictures and a big blow up start, and along the way everyone was encouraging one another along the way. The first 3 miles were a little rough, as it was the steepest part of the course and it was still a little cold. German ran back and forth like a mountain goat, asking how we felt and us to take it easy. His fitness is really amazing. I wish I could have been around him in his prime.
The course consisted of a fire road carved into the side of the volcano, so the footing was excellent, which was very fortunate since the spectacular scenery meant that I spent very little time looking at the ground. It was a crystal clear day, and the flat lands of Toluca spread out for miles before our eyes. There was a nerve-wracking moment when a control fire came all the way to the trails edge. In the US the whole area would have been closed off, but not here. I felt like a panicked horse for a moment, then I kept running and realized I was completely fine. After that, we were at the top, where a beautiful crater lake awaited us. Everyone stopped for a moment, before turning around to head back down the mountain.
I had to stop on the way up, so I did most of the incline by myself, but on the return I ran with Ryan and Leo, which was nice since I was getting pretty tired by that point. I wasn’t the worst off though—an hour after I was done, Tom crossed the finish line.
When all was said and done, Leo was 3rd in our “race,” I was 4th, and Ryan 5th, although considering everyone took a break at the crater so we could pose for Runner’s World Mexico, I would say those may be the most unofficial results ever. As I rode back down the mountain, covered in dust and choming in elote, I had a huge smile on my face. The beauty of the morning and the satisfaction I felt at doing that run was worth any soreness I might feel the next day.
