Training Log Archive: bl

Morning outing - just get outside. Essential to soak up the tonic of wilderness. Chilly, light NE breeze. Thought 2 mi would be fine. Made a goal of getting around the small lake in front of our lodge - could not see any paths on the far side but as I got closer, the way unfolded…a dirt track going my way. Only sound other than the wind was the cry of the many whimbrels (a bird I had to look up). Got back, the hotel was just coming to life. No cars on the roads, and relatively few outside of Reykjavik most everywhere we've been.

C • Whimbrels 2

Walk-jog along the shore - so beautiful I had to feel it. But really no better than walk-jog, even slightly downhill. Tired/OOB after short distances.

Still what a place - bright blue sky & sea and nice onshore breeze

One more night & then we go home. Opted to fly out of Keflavik on the eve of the 4th vs the 1st. We spent yesterday doing more driving than I thought we would but distances are deceiving here. Endless of what I would call breathtaking views of the Snæfellnes Peninsula - every view, one of constantly changing sky, water, and light with distinct, often sharp-edged (treeless) volcanic topography as the bedrock in the image.

Stopped by Grindavik harbor a few days ago as well as Reykjavik old harbor. Hard to believe we came to Iceland and departed by boat 25 and 15 years ago. In “youth", a fire is lit. Mostly coals now. "Brrr" comes to mind. Surprise of surprises, Mahina Tiare was at the dock but it was too late to visit.

Morning outing in Oslo, 7-8a time frame and still pretty quiet - a Sunday am and "light late" city. Cool in shade. Lovely city - don’t seem to recall such interesting architecture, parks, statues etc from our 2001 visit. Stumbled upon the movie “Sleepers” last night - which we had seen before. It kept us up until midnight. Daylight began around 0400. Something like "no rest for the weary".

Passed this lady today. Have a picture of me with my arm around this same lady in 2001.

Not standard fare for Oslo

Drive to Oslo with Pat Dunlavey, and very nice to have time to visit with Pat. Sad to be leaving the forests and mountains which became scattered farms and fields, then clustered villages and, eventually city. Spent the afternoon on the city waterfront. Nice to be in this new realm. We were last here 15 years ago in association with sailing. I have trouble recalling what we did except for visiting the viking ship and Kon Tiki museums and staying with Wollert who's not in town this weekend. Dinner on the plaza this eve & then waterfront eve walk.


I was 116/120 on the run in yesterday, in 126 seconds. Dave Cady was 12th, 70 secs (much to his credit: 5 &10k races definitely pay off). I think I should have been around 75-80” bracket with two working legs. Wonder what the solution will be.

C • Run-in 1

Day 5, also at the Lindvallen arena. OK run, at least as far as accuracy was concerned. Really lost no time looking for points. Some RC and hesitancy and loss of map contact but nothing serious. Just slow: the terrain was soft, bumpy, marshy/wet or quite packed with stuff to trip on. Leg was weak before 1st point.

1- was long and a good challenge. Started out w/o good map contact, did not get any really until first bit of marsh & path. Soon got in the right marsh (took some convincing) and it became straightforward. Saw the small blue pond, most helpful.

2 - just pay attention; 3 similar - when I got to far side of marsh, I noted the small spur on line & read contours from there. 4 - Read everything, care not to get on wrong side of knoll system about halfway along. Ran right by the boulder/SG. There was a flag at the boulder. #4 marked the end of orienteering. Used the path system toward #5; by then there were lots of orienteers and tracks. After the bldg, I left a bit early from the open area, went down into the woods and was confronted with what appeared to be a huge knoll - which was the elliptical one, maybe 16’ high, mapped as 5m it was atop another contour line so straight up in front of me. Rather foolishly went over, following others, vs around. Got up on the form line point knoll too far right, saw nothing but went toward the well-concealed flag. 6-9 was just a run-in on muddy paths. Walk-jog for most part.

Felt ok about the run from nav standpoint. Felt that way for the entire 5 days. The O-Ringen is so big, a phenomenon actually, but can’t lend itself to the best of courses, particularly for the shorter ones, returning the many, many to the chute in a consistently challenging fashion. Jeff finished 31st in H65, which was my very same position 5 years ago.

Five years ago to the day, a Friday, July 29th, 2011, the bags were packed and I was ready to go.

Time travels and we must travel along with it. Then one day we part company.


Map

H70 - Splits

4th day O-Ringen. Started rainy & windy with the ride up the chair lift. Cold near the top & my chair companions became silent. They were speaking Swedish, I was not on an end (of 4). 1121 start - I grabbed a plastic bag near the start and kept comfortable enough spending time in the shelter of the chairlift bldg. My run was ok tho I was somewhat whimpy for a while. It was the most open moor yet, an all-yellow map. Seems early starters dealt with fog.

No mistake time. Some legs were pretty trivial. From 4, I could see 5 and, after a short distance, I could see 6, too, tho neither seemed to be on the feature in the control code description and I was unsure until I saw the actual code #. As for the physical side, I was functioning on about 1.6 legs. I’m thinking this reproducible onset of weakness may be intermittent claudication. A predictable onset within a pretty much set amount of effort time every time. Strength is normal when resting. Needs diagnosing, addressing. I can’t see running in the USOC or NAOC like this. Too bad, too, with their being at Ward Pound Ridge and in NH.

There was no water stop on the way to #4 which threw me for a short bit. I was using it as an AP but inclement wx probably led to the decision not to set it up. #10 was my main worry - did not see the flag when I was close by - indeed out of sight from the direction I had come. #13, the go control, is on open slope, no feature circled. Don’t know if that is an error or what - could have moved the circle to a nearby mapped feature.

It was a long, muddy walk down to the other classes' finish - the main finish - we had to then pass thru that chute, walking if we chose. But at least keeping out of the way/not getting run down. The final 300m or so of the chute were all lovely wood chips. The day ended warm, breezy, bright, sunny. I’m just amazed with all the people!

One more day & then time to move on.

Map
Mud

H70 - Splits