Bellingham was the place to be this past weekend for speedy trail runners. The Lake Padden Trail Half won the bid this year to host the USATF trail half marathon national championships. The gun went off early Saturday morning, and Bellingham local Maria Dalzot found herself amongst an incredibly talented field, making her way over a blazingly fast course. She covered the distance in 1:32:13 to take the title of hometown victor and national champion. I’m thinking I will find myself taking a breather on a bench with her name etched into it next time I’m trotting through the Lake Padden trails.
This race is but one on a long list of notable performances for Maria, a current La Sportiva Athlete. We had the opportunity to ask her a few questions following the race. Always great to get some insight from a top notch elite. BONUS: Maria is a registered dietician who regularly contributes to Trail Runner Magazine. Check out her website here for more info.
Paige: Clearly you ran a well-executed race, what was your strategy toeing the line with such an crazy fast field?
Maria: I knew the course very well because I do interval and tempo sessions at Lake Padden almost every week and I also ran the race last year. I knew that the last 4 miles are a lot tougher than they seem, with many short and medium steep climbs. With such a packed field, including a sub-33 minute 10k road racer, I knew it was going to go out very fast and I knew that that would probably be a mistake. I hung back in 9th place, hitting a comfortable 6:10 for the first mile. When we hit the first climb, I started racing and moved into 4th. From here my strategy was to slowly close on the leaders saving as much energy as possible for the last 4 miles.
Paige: How is it balancing your work as an RD with your training, or what does your typical day look like with work/training demands?
Maria:On a typical day, I work for a couple hours in the morning from home. Then mid-morning I run a mile warm up to the gym, do an hours work of mountain athlete weight training and then run 7-8 miles after. I come home, eat lunch, nap, maybe work for another hour and then head back out for a 3 mile jog. I do one major workout a week and a long run, and on those days I don’t go to the gym or have a second run.
Paige: This year you were sponsored by La Sportiva, how was that partnership? What is your shoe of choice and have you gotten a taste of any new 2015 releases?
Maria: It has been great being sponsored by La Sportiva. It is a nice small group with good communication. My racing shoe of choice is the Helios, which I’ve worn in races from Moab’s slick rock to Mexico’s dry rocky mountains to the Pacific Northwest’s wet and mud. Somehow they are able to give me traction no matter the terrain. (They were great this weekend when the roadies were slipping and sliding.) For training I typical use the Bushido or Ultra Raptor, depending on the mud and distance.
Paige: You seem to have focused on the sub-ultra trail distances so far, do you have any plans to tackle the ultra distances next season?
Maria: I am thinking about running a trail marathon or a 50k at some point next year. I’ll be ramping up my long runs over the winter which is why I’m heading to Seven Hills to get a hydration pack as I write this.
(*National Champions shop at Seven Hills = Fact)
Paige: What does the nutritionist’s pre-race dinner look like? Have you seen that installment in us magazine – “stars, they’re just like us” sorta thing? Please tell us “nutritionists eat dessert on race night too,” is an accurate assumption?
Maria: I’m not superstitious with foods. I don’t have a go-to pre-race meal. I’ll eat anything from pasta to salmon to eggs. For example, before the Half Marathon Championships, I had scrambled eggs with peas and onions and roasted potatoes. I can’t speak for other dietitians but before a race I would rather have a glass of red wine to calm my nerves then a piece of pie
Paige: Looking ahead, what are some upcoming events for you?
Maria: I have three cross country races planned to close out the year.
Paige: Ask the expert: will drinking copious amounts of beetroot juice do anything for us besides giving us colorful urine?
Maria: Drinking copious amounts of anything is never the best nutrition practice. Unfortunately there is no (legal) magic elixir that will promise faster times and greater endurance.
Thanks for talking with us Maria, and great having you in the shop this week ! Congrats on the huge win last weekend and best of luck with your upcoming events!
-Seven Hills
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