Training Log Archive: pi

Tuesday's training on Wednesday at Hagnesta. This was a traffic light course, some long legs to push the pace followed by some control picking. A good run with just one problem control. Super nice weather.

Ramunderträffen outside Söderköping. Open 8, which turned out to be the same course as M21E with Lysell and Ushkvarok. Technical, but open and fast forests without the deep blueberries. One of my better races I can remember. Got into a great flow and hit all the controls clean. Perhaps you could count tiny hooks to 8 and 12. No bigger hesitations or zig-zagging. Would have placed in the top-half in M21E, 7:51 behind Lysell and the km-time would have been good for second in M40.

Re-run of Tuesday's contour only training. Wanted to try my Oroc 280's in the softer/wetter Swedish forests, to see if the achilles would take them, so thought I would run that great training again. Still made little hooks on 1 and 4, but at least found 3 this time. And no problem with the shoes!

Contour only training in a pretty technical area. Hard. Got a bit off to 2, but was able to relocate immediately, bit then lost it completely on the long leg to 3. Eventually figured it out and went directly to 4. Stopped too soon to 5. Finally got into a flow from 6 and then much better. Great training, but need to focus better from the start next time...

Höstträffen on the island Gotland, famous for its bingo orienteering in flat terrain. I had never actually run there before, but I can now confirm the rumours, it's insanely hard. It looks pretty normal on the map, but it's much harder than it looks. The map has some brown lines, but in the terrain I could barely perceive any elevation change. The white is full of juniper-bushes that limits visibility and makes it hard to stay on bearings. It's impossible to judge distance, because there is nothing distinct to confirm your location. Boulders are knee high and smaller than the juniper bushes. I can't really compare it to anything else I have run in my life. On the way to the first control I was too far right, couldn't hit the light green area, but got lucky to spot the 2nd control. About 1:30 lost there. No idea where I was on the way to 3, but just ran out to the trail (which was barely visible on the ground). 4 looked like a super distinct re-entrant on a hill, but it was so flat when I approached the control that I lost confidence and searched too soon. 1 minute lost here. Good to 5 and 6, but on the way to 7 the trail just before the control was not there in the terrain and I searched a little bit past the control for 3 minutes before spotting the flag. Then easier with lots of trail running for the rest of the course. 2nd place, about 40 sec back. Super warm and sunny day!

Control picking training at Svansta. Warm-up from club house to other side of highway, then a kind of tricky area with lots of motorcycle trails and small hills. Tried to push hard in intervals. Mostly OK, but struggled to spot the ribbons and that slowed the flow. After I ran home from the club house as well. After heavy downpours during the morning it cleared up with some sun in the afternoon and it was warm.

Tuesday's o-terval training at Ryssbergen without flags. Really nice up on the hills but slashy and tough otherwise. Had a sore throat and runny nose all week, but better now. Nice warm fall afternoon.

Warm-up.

District Champs Relay in H120 (i.e. combined age of 3 runners must be 120 years and minimum age is 35). Poor participation, only 5 teams in our category, but still super fun to run the mass start on the first leg. Had short fork to the first control, got slightly ahead and was for myself the first 5 controls. After the long leg to 5 the two runners from Hällen and SNO popped into the control from the other direction and then we ran together for the common controls 6 to 12. Coming into 13 they both turned left were I didn't want to go, figured it was forked, and then I made a 30 sec hook on my control. Alone for the last few controls and finished about 50 sec back. Turns out they had the short fork at 13. Our second leg runner Henrik caught up SNO and changed over together with them, whereas Hällen dropped 10 min. Our last guy Per Ek (former Swedish champ) took it by a little over 4 min. Fairly easy orienteering close to town with lots of trails.

C • DM 10

Club champs in "green area orienteering", with SI and full flags, a course with controls in green on purpose. It had rained all day also so it was a tough challenge. Even the white was full of branches and sticks on the ground so it was slow. Made one 3 min mistake on 4, but otherwise pretty clean. Actually enjoyed it!