Alex Garcia is an elite trail runner from Spain. He has gained recognition for his achievements in various trail-running competitions both in Spain and internationally. This past weekend, Alex toed the line at the Barcelona Half Marathon to test his fitness on the flat roads before transitioning his training back onto the technical trails in the mountains.

Keep reading as we breakdown his training and race day performance!

COROS gear used: COROS PACE 3 and COROS Heart Rate Monitor

Alex wears the COROS heart rate monitor to get the most accurate data while racing.

Swapping Trails For Roads

At the beginning of the season, Alex focused on VT2 (threshold) training and running on flat roads to prepare for the Barcelona Half Marathon. He made sure to strike a good balance by also including some easier trail runs. This helped him maintain the strength he had built up the last year and prepare for his competitive trail-running season to come.

I have been combining these VT2 training sessions with 2/3 days a week of light mountain runs, about 1h10'/30' and 2h30' the longest run, so as not to lose the adaptations in this terrain.

To ensure he wasn't pushing himself too hard, Alex used his Training Hub to monitor how his body responded to the workouts. This helps him to avoid overtraining and stay on track for his goals.

After the holidays, Alex transitioned his training to focus on his 2024 goals.

Heading into the weekend, Alex's race predictor had him estimated to run a 1:03:44 half marathon. This is one of the tools that Alex uses, especially leading up to race day.

According to my COROS prediction with the new Pod 2, I could try to run over 3.01/3.02 the 21km, because the Training hub data showed me the threshold pace at 3.00, this gave me a lot of confidence to face the race.

Alex's race predictor prior to the half marathon.

What is COROS Race Predictor?
EvoLab provides race time and race pace estimates for 5k, 10k, half marathon, and full marathon based on the past 6 weeks of training. With this race predictor, you can be more strategic with your race day plan.

Alex had a consistent performance at the Barcelona Half Marathon last weekend. With a strong and steady pace throughout the race, he pushed himself to sprint towards the finish line. Despite his best efforts, he fell just short of his sub 1h04 goal by a few seconds.

My goal in Barcelona was to try to go under 1h04', I was only 8" away, I hope that on a good day without wind, I can improve it. I'm still very happy with my new personal best 1h04'08". I'm proud to run 21km at an average of 3.01/3.02 per km... it's fast, hahaha. I got to be second Spanish in the finish line and I was 50" away from the European minimum of the Spanish athletics federation.

Alex's race data during the Barcelona Half-Marathon.

Preparing for the European Trail Classic

With the race now behind him, Alex will shift gears, returning to the trails with a focus on higher-intensity training in the mountains. This training will help to prepare him for the upcoming competitions in March and April, including the Golden World Series in Asia. In the coming months, Alex will focus on building stepping stones to reach his first major goal of the year: the European Trail Classic in France this June.

The COROS team wants to congratulate Alex on his performance this past weekend in Barcelona and looks forward to following his training as he works towards his 2024 goals!