Training Log Archive: Gswede

World Cup Long

Well, I survived a World Cup Long in a much better time than my last World Cup Long in Spain. This course and terrain was brutal. It was amazing to see the big names that DNFed this course. Personally, my body gave out on the final loop and I forced what I could out of it to the finish. This next month in Estonia is going to be crucial to ensure I'm prepared for the Long at WOC.

It's disappointing because during the course I felt that 1:52-1:55 was doable, but lifting my legs constantly to get over fallen trees and branches created some killer charlie horses every time I tried to climb a hill. I've experienced this before in longs. Madrid forests are quite open and clean compared to temperate, humid forests. They're great for fast running, but not great when it comes to physically preparing for championship terrain.

Nothing else to do but keep training hard and smart. I'm currently in Otepää in southern Estonia with the Spanish team to join their training camp. After that I'll be living here to prepare my body and mind for competition. I can't guarantee an outstanding performance at WOC, but I can guarantee I'm going to give it my all to prepare for one.

Part 1: http://sprintseries.org/doma/show_map.php?user=gsw...

Part 2 after map exchange: http://sprintseries.org/doma/show_map.php?user=gsw...

First time racing in Finland in ten years. (Last time was at Jukola 2007 when I was 17. Does that count?) It took me a few controls to really understand what the bare rock looked like in the terrain. And then I was rushing too much and took poor bearings out of the controls. But even with all these mistakes, not a terrible run.

Before the race, my main man TG told me to relax and spike the first control. So naturally, I made a mistake on the first control :( In retrospect, I would say it was due to nerves and inexperience in Finnish terrain. The two major difficulties I had here always went back to reading the bare rock accurately and taking a correct bearing. It would seem, unsurprisingly, that training in Madrid isn't the best place to prepare for races in Finnish terrain, as can be seen with the results of the Spanish runners. Training in the Hudson Valley would likely be much better preparation than Madrid terrain at this point. Results.

And while I think everyone, myself included, would want to see an American finish within a minute or two of the winners, it's encouraging to remember where I finished in my last World Cup middle.

After today, I'm actually feeling much more confident for tomorrow's long. I was able to understand the terrain much better towards the end and the woods were incredibly fun. I love this sport so much.

Map: http://sprintseries.org/doma/show_map.php?user=gsw...

And we had a special event for the rest day. A microsprint race in a mine 110 meters below the surface. Not all too difficult, but I struggled to enter the map and lost 18 seconds on the first control, already placing me far behind the leaders.

Still loads of fun!

https://goo.gl/photos/LQJfuF9To4rDRE2d7


Video of the race. Yes, we had to wear helmets. #Style

A few more controls on the middle model getting ready for tomorrow's race. Feeling pretty good after a long sleep.

Finnish World Cup Sprint Qualifier.

Not a great run. I had a decent technical performance, only having minor (<5 seconds) mistakes on 2, 3, and 10. But having slept less than 5 hours the past two nights seems to have taken the spark out of my legs. Even with that, I could have run about 30 seconds faster, still far out of qualifying. Qualifying for a final in World Cup is a good deal harder than at WOC. My training partner Antonio Martínez just barely qualified and he was quite happy with his run.

Traveling to these events always seems to screw up my sleep schedule considerably. Unfortunately, the low-cost flights are not the flights that most help sleep.

As a country, we need someone much faster than me to excel in the sprint. I'll continue to do what I can though.

https://goo.gl/photos/QuWGbTyChUeU4tc6A

Checking out the model map with Desmond. This terrain is great. Really looking forward to the races!

Event: Orienteering World Cup Round 1
 

Workout to get the legs moving before the World Cup. Surprising how fast I was able to go.

10x1 minute@115-120% of Sprint effort on 1 min rec.

Covered between 330 and 400 meters on rolling hills each minute. Got my heart rate up and a little tired, but nothing bad.

Abridged routine.

60 pushups, 20xpedestal, 15 burpees, 5 minute plank, 10 pullups

Down to the gate and back again. It's surprisingly difficult to run so little.