Training Log Archive: paw

Steady session on an area (Halkolampi) NE of the weekend's forest, using a map with training controls purchased in Helsinki. Superbly enjoyable, though I did begin to suffer in the heat. Some rough bits, but plenty of utterly glorious forest, especially in the northmost section. Bearing in mind the weekend I didn't push too hard, and decided to call it a day after an hour as I was losing concentration too easily. Fantastic to be able to have terrain like this so close to the city...wish we had the same near Glasgow.

C • terrain 4

Short warm up plus jog back from the middle of the area, which got a bit faster when I remembered what time the bus was due.

Recovery day, so just did a map run on paths around some of the bits I visited on Friday plus an extra loop. This time took the next map up, which overlaps hugely with the Laakso map, but appears to be a newer version making it both more accurate and easier to read. Right ankle unexpectedly very stiff - it's usually the other one that's the problem.

Suunto Games day 2. Another cracking race, though less so from a personal point of view - pleasing in places, but technically nowhere near as steady as yesterday. Started well and even got 3rd fastest on 3-4, the one leg that involved a stretch of path running. Lost around 90 sec on 5, which was excusable as it was a boulder in a flat, lo-vis jumble of boulders and knolls. More encouragingly, the guy who started 2 mins in front (and beat me yesterday) appeared from the wrong direction and led me into it. More encouragingly still, I then got clear of him when he made an error on 7 and I didn't (#smugface).

All went well until 10, where I lost a minute or so with a daft overshoot. It was 11 that did the real damage though - a dot knoll on a vague slope of mostly bare rock where nothing seemed to make sense. I ended up bailing out to the path at the top and taking a bearing back in. Slightly to my surprise I came straight onto it, which was odd as I was sure I'd been there before. The flag was quite hidden so I'm fairly sure I must have gone pretty close to it without seeing it, but as I didn't really know what was going on at that point I can't be too upset.

My confidence was a bit shot by then, so I took some time at the start of the long leg to retie my laces, reattach my description holder (which had come loose), and generally get my head together. Things went fairly well for the rest of the course, which was just as well considering how tired I was by the finish. I've got 6 km further to do at Jukola....eek!

From the splits I reckon I could have got around 70, which I'd have been really pleased with despite the winner doing 60. The leading guys in our class are superfast - they were going quicker than everyone else except the 21Es - so there's no shame in being that far down. It also looks as if other people struggled, as I actually improved from 9th to 8th overall when I expected to drop down a fair way. Plenty to learn from, anyway.

C • SG H45 2

Jogged the 2km to the start. Rather to my surprise I also managed a warm down.

Suunto Games day 1. Now this is what it's all about! Tough but gorgeous Finnish forest, barely a path on the map, and a "middle" course (I think the EWT was 30) with just 11 controls - UK planners take note. Really happy with my run too, though the position (9th/30 - 6 minutes down on Donner and Bostrom) is a bit disappointing as I didn't make any real mistakes. I did have a few hesitations and wobbles (esp to 10, where I nearly blew it badly), but mostly I suspect it's just terrain fitness and not spotting the best lines. I lost a minute to those around me on 4-5, which I thought I'd done pretty well. Still, that's why it makes sense to get some practice in this sort of forest - tomorrow I get another chance over twice the distance.

Personal Jukola Training Camp Day 1: Easy plod around a training map (Laakso) near the heart of Helsinki. Found it very hard, partly due to a couple of weeks without any O, partly due to unfamiliar terrain (that classic WTF feeling I usually get at Jukola model races). Also thought the map was really hard to read - 2.5m contours, shedloads of paths (many of which had moved), and some serious overmapping - should a 30cm high lump really be marked as a ring knoll? Very much worth doing though - trotting through Finnish forest sure loosens up the legs.

Travel.

Steady effort up the river and back. Last session before Finland trip.