Training Archive: wilsmithIn the 7 days ending 2006-08-12:
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| S | M | T | W | H | F | S | ||||||||
Saturday Aug 12 | ||
| Orienteering 50:00 [3] *** | |
| spiked:9/9c slept:6.0 | ||
| Orienteering training in between Odda and Seljestad, up in a big valley. It's a KOK training that they will do on Monday, but Holger and I decided to do it before the race today since we'll be gone by Monday. Holger is so well-trained that it wouldn't affect his race this afternoon (although none of the other KOK runners went training this morning), and I don't really care about the results this afternoon and would rather take advantage of getting onto a map and course in beautiful terrain....
Fairly tricky area, so felt good to get around without mistakes - though I can imagine making errors in a race.... And I feel totally tired, probably from all the travel plus the longish run in heavy terrain last night. It was more open than anticipated (different mapping style than the other training maps I guess), and beautiful views all around. I could live here (from time to time), I guess. Easy to understand why all the summer houses are perched on the slopes of the valley, anyway. | ||
| Orienteering race 34:00 [5] **** 4.5 km (7:33 / km) +240m 5:58 / km | |
| spiked:16/19c | ||
| Odda 2-days - middle distance course.
Tough race - felt physically very flat all the way; not unexpectedly of course, given the recent week and total disregard for rest and taper. The frustrating part was missing the first control - I was late for the start (see below) and never had focus. before I knew it I was relocating and punching the forst control already behind the guy who started a minute behind me.... Didn't have the legs or heart to stay with him so he ran away but I caught him again a bit later. However, another mistake on a tough control (tiny marsh in a reentrant going downhill on a hillside loaded with marshes and reentrants) and he was gone for good. On the long leg I was run through by Ivar haugen and Jörgen Rostrup (+3 and +5 minutes respectively) who were really flying - although they were still unable to beat Holger's time. One more uncertainty on one of the last controls as well. But mainly losing time based on lack of physical speed today. Maximum 3 minutes of errors on the course, but 9 minutes back of Holger.... Ouch. | ||
| Running warm up/down 20:00 [3] 2 km (10:00 / km) +120m 7:42 / km | |
| Warm up and cool down for the above. Mainly a frantic dash to the start to try and get there on time - it was only 2 km and 120m of climb up the hill, but it was tough going. Katta ran well but our start times weren't well spaced so by the time I could hand over Mia to her it was getting on to 17 min prior to my start - and they advised allowing 25 minutes to get there. They weren't kidding - I ran hard the whole way, except for a few hills that I had to walk up, and still barely arrived for my start. Not a good race preparation, "that's for sure".... | ||
| Hiking long 2:10:00 [2] 12 km (10:50 / km) +410m 9:15 / km | |
| A real cooker of a hike up from Bure/Odda to the glacier. We decided to make the trip up after the race (Holger apparently not worried about tomorrow's longer race, Sandy not planning to run the long course tomorrow, and the rest of us more keen on seeing the glacier than recording decent results), and were pushing the envelope as far as darkness went.
It was pretty tough hiking, particularly with Mia in the Baby Björn (Katta carried her up and I carried her down) and we got a LOT of funny looks from people on their way down as we were heading up. The last half at least was very technical - mix of boulders, stream crossings, and occasional loose scree. There were a few rope assists and a couple of bridges along the way, and they were much-appreciated. As usual, the scenery was amazing and we thoroughly enjoyed the view, both ascending and descending. Mia was a real trooper, although she was inconsolable for about 30 minutes just as we were heading down. Eventually we decided to hike on despite the screaming, as it was really starting to get dark and there were some tough sections of trail that I didn't want to tackle in darkness with a baby strapped to the front of me.... Anyway, lots of photos taken, and my quads are totally shot from trying to make every downhill step a smooth and controlled one for Mia's sake - no leaping from cliffs and boulders.... This is going to hurt tomorrow! But it was totally worth it. | ||
Friday Aug 11 | ||
| Orienteering 40:00 [3] *** | |
| spiked:18/19c slept:6.0 | ||
| Orienteering - middle distance course around Hove (Holger's childhood stomping grounds) that he had set for Sandy. Some nice and relatively easy legs interspersed with diabolically difficuly legs in a flat green area with very low visibility. Managed to spike them all, except for one in the green when I was unsure - still found it within 10 seconds though so it's a near spike. I just felt lucky finding it rather than confident so I consider it a miss. Of course, everything is easier at cruising pace. Starting to feel all the training and recent racing is catching up to me.
Long drive up to the mountains today - hope the weather holds as the views on Norwegian roads (when not dodging huge caravans with a "D" on the back, or else paying exorbitant tolls) are usually remarkable at worst and marvelous at best. | ||
| Orienteering 1:20:00 [3] **** 7 km (11:26 / km) +360m 9:05 / km | |
| spiked:14/14c | ||
| Brilliant but tough training with KOK up in the mountains. The weather, although dodgy during the drive, rewarded us with sun for the training and a spectacular view over the valley and up to the glacier that runs down near Odda (the third largest glacier in Norway, although it does seem small compared to the Columbia Icefields...). Most of the course in "rough open" which included quite a fair bit of scrubby green vegetation - probably too difficult to map distinctly though.
Very hilly, plus I was the last one out so was picking up some of the KOK controls just as the sun was approaching the mountain tops - that accounts for the slow time. But well worth it - just kicking myself for not bringing the camera (had a backpack on anyway for the controls). | ||
Thursday Aug 10 | ||
| Orienteering 1:01:00 [3] *** 5 km (12:12 / km) +185m 10:18 / km | |
| spiked:16/16c slept:5.0 | ||
| An awesome session on Fjaere - the map was used for the WOC in 1997 for the classic (both in qualification and in the final), and the terrain is GREAT. Newly updated for races this summer, and just prime for a great training in Grimstad with the clan en route to Arendal to visit with Holger's family.
Oh yes, I love this terrain. Apparently a little more overgrown than in 1997, but not too bad. I had a strong sense of deja vu through most of the course, although it wasn't until the last little bit that I realized that I had actually raced in that exact section of map. Anyway, spot-on orienteering and a lot of physical challenge through heather, bracken and blueberries - almost was looking to get into the marshes at times to have slightly better runnability. Gotta be tough to win here. "That's for sure". | ||
Wednesday Aug 9 | ||
| Running race 22:43 [5] 6 km (3:47 / km) +260m 3:07 / km | |
| slept:6.0 | ||
| Spiggåren-Båden terrain test.
This is a KOK running test - the one that Holger uses to gauge his training yield and fitness. He set a new record this summer, despite mainly alternative training over the winter, en route to his gold medal at the World Championships. The fact that he had recently set a new record was probably a significant psychological factor in his successful recovery from a worst-ever placing in the Long Distance, only two days before the Middle Distance. Anyway, it's a mix of paved trail, road running, and some technical, rocky, rooty trails followed by a section of bare rock at the top as you emerge into an open area with a spectacular vista over the city and harbour. The bottom part rolls a bit, but overall it's a net elevation gain and the total climb over the course is in the 260-270m range. The last bit is verrrrry steep in places, with a few sections in which chumps like myself have to take a few walking steps. You take splits in two places along the way - first one is a bit more than a km in and is only paved with about 30m climb to that point. The next split is as you leave the gravel road and head uphill on the technical singletrack - by then you've climbed about 110m, but you still have a tough section including 160m climbing ahead of you. Holger's splits from the record run are: 04:20 (04:20) 11:19 (06:59) 18:35 (07:16) Today I was definitely not destined to break his record - but it was the only chance I had to put down a time before we left so I took it. I'll work towards improving it for my next visit. Conditions were not great but not too bad either. Slightly overcast, about 19 C, but pretty humid. Moderately brisk headwinds up on top too. Running surface was dry. I had a little uncertainty about where to turn onto the singletrack (there are a lot of intersections along the way) and had to check my stride a few times, but I probably lost no more than 10 seconds from that. Mainly I lost from not being familiar enough with the terrain, and of course from just not enough fitness - it's a real bitch of a climb on some technical surfaces once you leave the road. Definitely not a test for a rainy day. My splits went: 05:08 (05:08) 13:38 (08:30) 22:43 (09:05) So on pavement I was 18% back, on the mainly gravel section I was 21% back, and on the technical climb I was 25% back. Not wonderful, but these are numbers I can accept. For the moment anyway. After all, this is the World Champion's record time on his home test loop. And Holger is an excellent climber. I think taking a minute off would be easy enough (proper rest, hydration, no headwind, and being more comfortable with the course will take care of that). After that it'll take quite a bit more training.... BTW - Mike S's time (I don't know the details of his run) is about 21:35 according to Holger, and Sandy's listed time is 24:07. But those will fall pretty quickly too. More on the Spiggåren-Båden test run can be found on http://www.hottjohansen.com | ||
| C • Cool report 3 | ||
| Running 1:49:00 [1] 13.5 km (8:04 / km) +230m 7:26 / km | |
| This includes warm up and cool down from the test race, plus yet another climb up to Båden to find Mia and Katta (they missed an unmarked turn on the singletrack), show them the top, and take a few photos. Then of course there's the trip home too. A nice day but I was getting quite hungry by the end - not enough blackberries along the trails to sustain me.... ;-) | ||
Tuesday Aug 8 | ||
| Orienteering 1:02:00 [3] **** | |
| spiked:13/13c slept:6.0 | ||
| Orienteering training on a map from Sandy and Holger's apartment in Kristiansand - ribbons in the forest from a club training set by Mike.
Awesome, simply awesome terrain.... After a couple of controls, it fully hit me how much I truly love southern Norwegian terrain. It is everything that I think orienteering should be.... The maps are accurate and detailed enough so that if you want to you can know your location quite precisely. The navigation is fairly challenging and requires reasonable map contact, but you can (if you dare) take chances and run on rough direction too. The visibility is a little bit limited, adding to the challenge, and the footing is tough - there was a fair bit of leg lifting through blueberries, juniper, and marshland. Micro route choice decisions have an impact in nearly every leg. It is an area that rewards the technically proficient and physically tough runner, and even in the height of August vegetation it was a joy to run through. I realize of course that many other parts of the world can lay claim to the above, but for some reason this section of Norway has always struck a chord with me. I personally very much enjoy Harriman State Park (WOC93) and Pawtuckaway SP (World Cup Final 92) as well - though in those places the running and footing is much easier and it doesn't require nearly the amount of leg lifting or micro route choices that this area does. And in Harriman the navigation is much easier because of the shape of the large landforms. Anyway, I'll take advantage of being here when I can - it's been a long time since my last visit - I hope the next one will be sooner. | ||
Monday Aug 7 | ||
| Running 1:06:00 [2] 12 km (5:30 / km) +280m 4:56 / km | |
| slept:6.0 | ||
| A nice run through Kristiansand up to Båden with the World Champion. I wanted to have a look at the test course - have to put a time down on it before we leave for the mountains. Mikey has a time of about 21:30 and they have given me a handicap of 1:10. So the time for me to beat is 22:40. We'll see....
There is quite a bit of paved trail and gravel road running (with significant climb) over the first half, before it gives way into more technical running over stones, bare rock, and a few roots (with again some steep climbs). I estimate I'll have the most trouble keeping pace on the bottom part - I felt way more happy scrambling on the upper half. But that may change with a pair of legs burning in lactic acid. | ||