The person behind Uphill Hours

I'm Ignacio, originally from northern Spain (Asturias), where I grew up surrounded by mountains. My grandfather introduced me to hiking in the Picos de Europa, and those early adventures eventually led me to sport climbing and, years later, trail running.

I'm a Physical Education teacher, sport scientist and trail running coach, with a PhD in Sport Sciences. I've always been interested in understanding how the body works and how training can improve performance. But it wasn't until I started applying that knowledge to my own running that I realised how much there is to learn beyond the theory.

I started trail running in 2020, initially simply to enjoy being outdoors. After finishing my PhD, I began training more seriously and exploring what I could achieve as a runner. I'm still on that journey, learning, experimenting and trying to understand how far I can go.

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Uphill Hours grew out of that process. A place to share what I learn from science, training and racing, alongside the stories, people and experiences that make running in the mountains so special.

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I hope it becomes a space where you can find something useful, discover a new perspective or simply spend a few quiet minutes reading.