Training Log Archive: bl

Day 3, same arena Hogfhjallshotellet & same routine for arriving at start. Rained on the walk to the bus, gray skies indeed. We got moderately wet but by time we got to our rendezvous point, it had stopped, tho it was thoroughly overcast. Earliest runners got soaked. Decent run, another B+ estimate.

To #1, it was really only contour to the big valley and find the point where runners convened. Soft, uneven footing though. #2 along the stream/reentrant to the deep reentrant at the end and move on thru thickish veg til the point was seen - past quite a few uncertain orienteers but not sure what feature they were looking for. #3 probably the worst for time per distance, give I climbed more than needed and the climb was steep and slow. Should have stayed with the stream much longer, lessening the climb.

4-10 were pretty much straight-forward. For four, stopped before the stream so duh there. #9 could have made my way toward the building which I could see in woods and that would have made the point easier. Opted not to, got mixed up with stream and intermittent stream, maybe lost 30”, not sure. Half the run-in was downhill. Same drag-a-leg finish. 310 stopped I think - will see if any data.

Hard to believe three days are past. Met Greg Balter today, Magnus and Sarah Bjorkman yesterday.

Map

C • Högfjället 4

H70 - Splits

O-Ringen second day, sun & cloud, I did get hot even tho an 0859 start. 500m to start & 100m climb. Lost maybe 1.5’ on #4, the long leg. Otherwise OK. 1, 2, & 3 were in open anyway. It was 160m uphill to the start triangle and the next 1.5 legs were also up. Needed the two water stops. Relocated on #4 with a dot knoll with a flag and my AP was a small pond with a flag (& quite a few runners), then about 250m on compass, most thru white woods with marsh for backup. #4 also had a few large re-entrants in the terrain that did not appear to be depicted as large by the map which caused some confusion. Was beginning to despair on 4 on the lone point in featureless terrain but could see I needed to go further to be about the right distance from the marsh & voila, there it was. A dot knoll in uniform contours. The rest were straightforward. 270m in chute: 2:13. So maybe B+ O and 3/5 running strength. There was a slightly overweight but competitive hustle D70 or 75 who punched #8 5m before me. She punched #9 about 10m ahead and then beat me to the finish - today’s feedback. Typically the chute is where one finally puts the pedal to the metal! At least satisfying to go sufficiently straight to the points.

Met Leif Akerblom/bubo last night. Fun how cyber existence can flesh itself in.


Map
Summer color

Looking toward the start

7/24 First day of O-Ringen. Map 1/7500 with 5m contours, much like yesterday's practice map but bigger scale. 4.0k course, accurate navigation, and, as I thought might happen, the right leg was w/o as much as 1/3rd the strength most of the time, so effort-wise, a 3/5 would be my estimate. The 2:18 for the 290m chute is an indication (Jeff was 1:04). It was jog maybe 30m and walk maybe 10-15m for 290m. Could feel it coming on about halfway to the first control, much like at High Rock several weeks ago. No pain, numbness, tingling etc - just the weakness - not sure what’s behind it. I think of circulatory insufficiency but a puzzle. No hx of sciatica which includes pain by definition.

The first leg was a challenging start. The 4th was probably the hardest - I went straight which was probably not a good RC - up and down across reentrants. Better down to the corner of the houses and up the proper reentrant. #5 cost maybe 1-1.5’ minutes. I tripped on some tiny projection, landed hard on soft ground. Got up, checked my compass to see if it had been changed for the set direction. Seemed it had not but then I headed off maybe 30 deg to the right unaware. Came upon a steep cut/reentrant nowhere on my planned leg (the one I thought I was taking across fairly bland open). I managed to relocate on a control with two adjacent green veg features. Went to #6 ok - going slowly most of the time because of the leg. Contoured around the knoll to #7 tho the animal tracks went right across. Did not have leg strength either up or down. Points across the road were straightforward. Everyone crossed over an elaborate bridge on the south side of the road. Maybe a B+ for nav and the effort available was about a C. Was 66th, don’t know how many were on the board. I was a late starter today which was just fine as it provided ample time to figure the routine out.

Nice evenings with the Saegers.


Map

C • Thanks for posting the map.... 2

Event: O-Ringen 2016
 

Mountain terrain per the O-Ringen description. Spent about 90' in open terrain with subtle contours.

Flatfjallet


Dave and Adam most helpfully “rescued” us from our Trysil backwater, took us to Salen and put us up for the night in their nice condo. Then today they took us to the training map and finally to our own lodging.

No idea about how I’ll handle the orienteering. MVP/MR and thigh weakness with exertion are to be tested which has not been the case until now. Time will tell. Best effort is all that one can put forth.

C • Good luck 1

Walk to Trysil & back for breakfast. Encountered a group of about 10 elite-appearing roller skiers training.

C • Getting closer 6

H70 - Splits

UK time to go, left behind picture-perfect pastoralism. Nice visit but did get tired of frequency & intensity of close driving encounters - just the way the “terrain” is on old road networks. “Let Greyhound do the driving” perhaps except I’d feel guilty participating in a huge road hog activity. Not happy with Europ car either. No mutual dent check prior to leaving (pretty large series of scratches found under left front bumper upon returning & not me, a miracle). And no car intro or user manual, only a 2 pg info sheet.

Such-as-it-is sightings not caught digitally:
-- Two adult males walking on the shoulder of a busy dual-carriage road completely naked, why I don’t know.
-- A lady smoking a cigarette under an umbrella in the rain.
-- And most amazingly, not another American encountered in these nine days.

H70 - Splits

Toward Easedale Tarn, along various lanes and walls to fields. Warm, even some sun. Thought I might have heard thunder, then it was definite. Fast-moving clouds over the ridges ahead - became windy, dramatic. I was at the end of the fields and it became clear that was as far as I was going to go - dry anyway. Turned around, soon was poured on and all was fun except for concern about the phone-camera which wasn’t adequately protected for the degree of wetness.