Training Log Archive: KatIn the 30 days ending Sep 30, 2007:
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Sunday Sep 30, 2007 #
Note
(sick)
Got up in the middle of the night and felt absolutely awful. Had to call Erik in the morning to tell him I wasn't going to do the long distance today. This is annoying. Not so much the fact that I am sick, since the last time was in April so I figure I'm lucky to have made it this far, but because I had to miss two cool races this weekend. The terrain was supposed to be very technical and difficult today....
Saturday Sep 29, 2007 #
Note
(sick) (rest day)
I was planning on doing a middle-distance race today, but despite numerous phone calls and emails, I didn't manage to get a ride. It's probably all for the best anyway, because it's absolutely miserable weather and I've got a cold. Spent the day catching up on some work and eating lots instead.
Friday Sep 28, 2007 #
Aquajogging 1:00:00 [1]
Aquajogging with Zan at Fyrishov.
Cross-Training 7:00 [1]
Strength Training 20:00 [1]
Went to the gym, only to find out it was closing in ten minutes. So I did the most important stuff and then did a couple more exercises at home. Guess it just wasn't meant to be.
Stretching 5:00 [0]
Thursday Sep 27, 2007 #
Running warm up/down 9:46 [2] 1.12 mi (8:45 / mi)
shoes: Green VJ Integrators
Warm-up loop with the rest of the Linne people.
Running (trail) 29:24 [5] 5.73 km (5:08 / km) +160m 4:30 / km
shoes: Green VJ Integrators
Ran Linne's testbana. I was basically by myself the entire time, but this was fine with me. I ran well from start to finish. I ran fast on the downhills, pushed on the uphills, positioned my feet well on the rooty and twisty trails. I knew the route well enough that I barely had to glance at the map and I even helped out some other people in a couple of places. It was an excellent run, yet somehow my time is half a minute slower than last year's! Since I know without a doubt that I am now stronger, I figure it must have been because Boris and I went off course slightly last year and this must have made more of a difference than we had thought. Oh well. So I'm throwing out last year's time and making today's the official one to beat in the future.
Running warm up/down 9:55 [2] 1.1 mi (9:00 / mi)
shoes: Green VJ Integrators
Cool-down with Mari.
Stretching 5:00 [0]
Wednesday Sep 26, 2007 #
Running 57:18 9.0 km (6:22 / km)
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes 07
Ran the testbana with Sara and a friend of hers, then did another twenty minutes running by myself, at a significantly slower pace. I was running ahead of the other two on the testbana, doing the navigation, but I felt that she was right on my heels. So it was more like a tempo run than an easy run.
Stretching 5:00 [0]
Tuesday Sep 25, 2007 #
Cross-Training warm up/down 5:00 [1]
Strength Training (Gym) 55:00 [1]
shoes: Brooks 07
The usual stuff, except I did the hamstring and quad exercises one leg at a time.
Stretching 6:00 [0]
Note
I have done the equivalent of 40+ miles every week for the last four weeks and I feel great!!! I am so happy to finally be able to run daily without constant frustration and worry over injuries. It's still not perfect - I have various aches and pains all the time, just not as bad - but it's progress. Yay!
C • wow 9
Running warm up/down 15:30 [2] 1.82 mi (8:31 / mi)
shoes: Green VJ Integrators
Running up and down the same stretch of grass. Boring but necessary.
Orienteering 1:05:08 6.0 km (10:51 / km)
shoes: Green VJ Integrators
EVENT: Linne Night-O Club Champs
COURSE: Women's course, 6.0 km, 8 controls
MAP: Sigtuna, 1:10,000, 2.5m contours
TERRAIN: Same exact map we ran on two weeks ago, at the Uppland relay champs. Some trails, reasonably fast white woods, relatively hilly (for Uppland), some very technical areas in the northern part of the map.
MY RUN: This was probably my best night race yet. I felt really confident with the navigation, took safe route choices, and made relatively few mistakes. The one notable mishap was running through the big, dark green marsh *again* (I did this two weeks ago as well). I was running on a trail and thought I'd gone far enough, so I ducked into the woods. At first I thought the green was just a short strip that would end soon, but then I wound up spending several quality minutes swimming through the dense forest. Something about the green, the marsh, the hilltops just seems to attract me...
RESULTS: 7th out of 20 on course B. Full results here:
http://www.svenskidrott.se/Downloads/30342/docs/St...
COURSE: Women's course, 6.0 km, 8 controls
MAP: Sigtuna, 1:10,000, 2.5m contours
TERRAIN: Same exact map we ran on two weeks ago, at the Uppland relay champs. Some trails, reasonably fast white woods, relatively hilly (for Uppland), some very technical areas in the northern part of the map.
MY RUN: This was probably my best night race yet. I felt really confident with the navigation, took safe route choices, and made relatively few mistakes. The one notable mishap was running through the big, dark green marsh *again* (I did this two weeks ago as well). I was running on a trail and thought I'd gone far enough, so I ducked into the woods. At first I thought the green was just a short strip that would end soon, but then I wound up spending several quality minutes swimming through the dense forest. Something about the green, the marsh, the hilltops just seems to attract me...
RESULTS: 7th out of 20 on course B. Full results here:
http://www.svenskidrott.se/Downloads/30342/docs/St...
Running warm up/down 8:21 [2] 0.93 mi (9:00 / mi)
shoes: Green VJ Integrators
Stretching 5:00 [0]
Monday Sep 24, 2007 #
Running 50:00 [2] 5.88 mi (8:30 / mi)
shoes: Orange Asics
Set out to do a short night-O on trails in Norby, but my lamp didn't work. It seems to be the same problem I had with my lamp during the Harvester relay in June - at first it seemed to work fine, but very quickly the light diminished and the high beam didn't work at all. This time my lamp went dead within a few minutes. So Boris and I ran back to the clubhouse, dropped off our lamps, and ran several loops on the big lit trail instead. I felt surprisingly good, considering the tough run I had yesterday. Cool!
Sunday Sep 23, 2007 #
Running 14:00
shoes: Green VJ Integrators
Warm-up before the start, with several short breaks. My legs felt heavy on the uphills.
Orienteering 1:14:33 [4] 7.3 km (10:13 / km)
spiked:17/19c shoes: Green VJ Integrators
EVENT: SM Stafett 2007
COURSE: 1st leg, gaffling AA, 7.3 km, 19 controls
MAP: Svalilt, 1:15,000, 5m contours
TERRAIN: Hilly terrain with patches of very runnable forest and lots of very wet marshes.
MY RUN: This race was fun! Unlike the relay two weeks ago, I had a strategy planned out. For the first half of the race I was running with other girls, reading the (tiny) control descriptions on the uphills and always knowing the control number I was looking for. I had just the right balance between looking at the map and knowing what to expect and watching the other girls and using them to lead me into controls. It was perfect! Sadly, the second half wasn't quite as good, or else it would have been a truly impressive run!
My mistake came on #13 when I saw my control and saw other girls punch it, but still wasn't convinced it was mine. I thought the cliff I was looking for would be on the other side of the small/steep hill and clambered over it to check. This lost me a minute, as well as the group of girls I'd been running with. And if I had kept running with them, I doubt I would have missed #15 the way I did. On this control, I contoured around a steep green hill and just missed the cliff I was looking for (may have been just a few meters too high). The ground was wet and marshy there and I just kept going slowly uphill and sideways, looking for the cliff. I didn't realize I was going too far because it was such slow-going that I expected to be moving for a while. I figured out where I was when I hit #16, the radio and water control. I fixed the mistake immediately - ran back downhill through the marsh to the cliff and then slogged back up to #16 - but I lost 6.5 minutes on that, and in one of the most physical areas too! No further mistakes, but I was very slow on the last few controls because of this extra exertion.
RESULTS: 54th/65 on the first leg. There were a lot of good girls running the first leg!
THOUGHTS: This was a huge improvement over the first time I ran 1st leg two weeks ago. Most important lesson learned today: if there is a control nearby with lots of other girls punching it, check the code. It might cost a few seconds, but can potentially save a lot more!
COURSE: 1st leg, gaffling AA, 7.3 km, 19 controls
MAP: Svalilt, 1:15,000, 5m contours
TERRAIN: Hilly terrain with patches of very runnable forest and lots of very wet marshes.
MY RUN: This race was fun! Unlike the relay two weeks ago, I had a strategy planned out. For the first half of the race I was running with other girls, reading the (tiny) control descriptions on the uphills and always knowing the control number I was looking for. I had just the right balance between looking at the map and knowing what to expect and watching the other girls and using them to lead me into controls. It was perfect! Sadly, the second half wasn't quite as good, or else it would have been a truly impressive run!
My mistake came on #13 when I saw my control and saw other girls punch it, but still wasn't convinced it was mine. I thought the cliff I was looking for would be on the other side of the small/steep hill and clambered over it to check. This lost me a minute, as well as the group of girls I'd been running with. And if I had kept running with them, I doubt I would have missed #15 the way I did. On this control, I contoured around a steep green hill and just missed the cliff I was looking for (may have been just a few meters too high). The ground was wet and marshy there and I just kept going slowly uphill and sideways, looking for the cliff. I didn't realize I was going too far because it was such slow-going that I expected to be moving for a while. I figured out where I was when I hit #16, the radio and water control. I fixed the mistake immediately - ran back downhill through the marsh to the cliff and then slogged back up to #16 - but I lost 6.5 minutes on that, and in one of the most physical areas too! No further mistakes, but I was very slow on the last few controls because of this extra exertion.
RESULTS: 54th/65 on the first leg. There were a lot of good girls running the first leg!
THOUGHTS: This was a huge improvement over the first time I ran 1st leg two weeks ago. Most important lesson learned today: if there is a control nearby with lots of other girls punching it, check the code. It might cost a few seconds, but can potentially save a lot more!
Saturday Sep 22, 2007 #
Note
(rest day)
Travel to Halland, where the Swedish Relay Champs will be held tomorrow.
Friday Sep 21, 2007 #
Orienteering 1:32:00 [2] 8.5 km (10:49 / km)
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes 07
Ran the D21L course from the long distance club champs with Boris. Went slowly, got very lost once, but otherwise did ok. Boris pointed out that some of my route choices sucked...The problem is I like running through the woods and I think running around on trails is boring, even if it is faster and sometimes provides a better attackpoint. I think I will continue to take the more interesting route choices in training, but I will try to be more conscious of safer "around" options during races.
Thursday Sep 20, 2007 #
Running 1:04:15 8.03 mi (8:00 / mi)
shoes: Nike Pegasus
Attempted to do intervals in Stadsskogen, but I feel like I failed.
20 minute warm-up
3x{5 minutes hard, 2 minutes easy}
3x{1 minute hard, 1 minute easy}
17:15 cool-down
I ran the longer intervals at a pace that felt faster than my cross-country race pace, yet I couldn't get my HR up very high. I wasn't wearing the monitor, but I could tell that it just wasn't happening when my breathing would return to normal within 15 seconds. So then I tried to do 1-minute intervals so that I could push harder. I did indeed find a fifth gear doing these, but the breathing and HR still felt more appropriate for a level 3-4 run, even though I was practically sprinting. Grrr. I will just chalk it up to not having done intervals in a while and having tired legs.
20 minute warm-up
3x{5 minutes hard, 2 minutes easy}
3x{1 minute hard, 1 minute easy}
17:15 cool-down
I ran the longer intervals at a pace that felt faster than my cross-country race pace, yet I couldn't get my HR up very high. I wasn't wearing the monitor, but I could tell that it just wasn't happening when my breathing would return to normal within 15 seconds. So then I tried to do 1-minute intervals so that I could push harder. I did indeed find a fifth gear doing these, but the breathing and HR still felt more appropriate for a level 3-4 run, even though I was practically sprinting. Grrr. I will just chalk it up to not having done intervals in a while and having tired legs.
Stretching 6:00 [0]
Wednesday Sep 19, 2007 #
Running 17:40 [2] 1.96 mi (9:00 / mi)
shoes: Orange Asics
Jogging to the clubhouse with Boris and then to the start of the testbana.
Running (trail) 36:18 6.0 km (6:03 / km)
shoes: Orange Asics
Running the testbana, taking it easy and getting to know the course. I navigated just fine throughout the first half of it, but there were some tricky parts at the end where the trails were particularly indistinct. I'll try to run this at least once more before the actual trial run.
Running 17:22 [2] 1.93 mi (9:00 / mi)
shoes: Orange Asics
Running home, taking a different route back.
Stretching 6:00 [0]
Tuesday Sep 18, 2007 #
Running 11:54 [2] 1.32 mi (9:00 / mi)
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes 07
Running to the backbana and then a short loop on the trails.
Running 32:47 5.0 km (6:33 / km) +300m 5:03 / km
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes 07
Running the backbana, this time by myself. Splits were 14:36 out to the southern-most point, 18:11 back. Had to slow down a couple of times to figure out where to go and once went off the line slightly, possibly losing 5-10 seconds, but otherwise it went pretty well.
Running warm up/down 20:33 [2] 2.28 mi (9:01 / mi)
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes 07
Running back to the MIC, realizing half-way that Boris forgot the keys under a rock, and running back to get them...
Running 5:00 [2] 0.56 mi (9:00 / mi)
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes 07
Running to the start and from the finish.
Orienteering 1:19:00 7.6 km (10:24 / km)
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes 07
Pre-running the D21L course for this weekend's OK Linne national event in Lunsen. I had to stop at several of the controls (possible radio controls for the race) and call Andreas to make sure that there was reception. I also had to spend a bit of extra time at the control sites where there were no flags, just a small paper with the control number printed on it, to ensure that the number was correct. I was surprised at how good I felt. I managed to do a long course in Lunsen, as my second training of the day in a reasonable amount of time, without ever getting really lost, and also running at a relatively easy pace. There is no way I could have done this a year ago. Pretty cool. :)
Stretching 6:00 [0]
Monday Sep 17, 2007 #
Running 1:04:41 8.09 mi (8:00 / mi)
shoes: Orange Asics
Nice run in Stadsskogen with Boris, mostly on horse paths and small trails.
Strength Training (gym) 44:00 [1]
Went right after the run, which was around 6:30PM. Gym was crowded, so I couldn't do a couple of my usual exercises.
Stretching 5:00 [0]
Note
I don't normally follow orienteering blogs, but I felt like reading some this evening. I was intrigued by a comment by Hanny about how it is supposedly better to limit the amount of time spent on orienteering practice because doing it too often trains bad habits and leads to staleness. Of course I completely disagree. I believe in focused practice. I believe that even with a sport as complicated as orienteering, it is possible to break down the whole into components, work on each one, put all of the skills together, and make it happen. I like the idea of a controlled, structured routine. I have used this approach in practically all of the main areas of my life and it works for me. I empathize with Thierry Gueorgiou completely. If orienteering were the single most important thing in my life, then I would do exactly what he does. I think Hanny has a lot of natural talent and this has gotten her high up on the results list, but if she wants to reach her potential, she should spend more time in the woods and less time on her other interests (cross country, mountain running, etc.).
Sunday Sep 16, 2007 #
Running warm up/down 11:00 [2] 1.22 mi (9:00 / mi)
shoes: Green VJ Integrators
Legs felt a bit stiff today. I forgot to do a cool-down run yesterday and didn't stretch either. I regret the laziness.
Orienteering 54:35 5.1 km (10:42 / km)
shoes: Green VJ Integrators
EVENT: Sumpslitet, Sundbybergs IK
COURSE: D21, 5.1 km, 14 controls
MAP: Lovön, 1:15,000, 4m contours
TERRAIN: Same as yesterday, although a different part of the map.
MY RUN: Started off carefully, but still lost time on the first two controls. #1 was in a flat, vague spot and I did not feel comfortable with the 1:15 scale. #2 would only have been a 1-1.5 minute parallel error had I not misread the control code. I found the control, but even at a close distance, it seemed to read 138, because the middle 8 was faded. So I ran around in the area for five more minutes, relocating off several different features and coming back to the same control. Finally, I looked very closely and realized the control code had actually, at some point, been 188. Grr. After this, I had a good race technically. I had to hesitate on several legs, costing me some time, but I felt on top of the navigation.
RESULTS: 18th/30 in D21
ANALYSIS: ~3 minutes lost on #1, ~7 on #2, and a further ~2 in the control circle on #6. Plus some notable hesitation (30 seconds total) on #4, #7. Again, top 5 was doable with an excellent race, but unrealistic.
THOUGHTS: I know I can run just about as fast as Becka in the woods, so comparing our split times from the course today makes me realize just how much I have to slow down to navigate. I think I'm finally beginning to understand my limitations. Either I run fast (like I did yesterday) and make lots of small mistakes, or I run relatively safely (like I did today) and lose time by going slowly and hesitating to look at the map. Either way, I cannot possibly do better than several minutes behind the leaders, unless I have an exceptionally good day. I'm just not quick enough with the navigation yet. But, as with everything else, time and practice will help.
COURSE: D21, 5.1 km, 14 controls
MAP: Lovön, 1:15,000, 4m contours
TERRAIN: Same as yesterday, although a different part of the map.
MY RUN: Started off carefully, but still lost time on the first two controls. #1 was in a flat, vague spot and I did not feel comfortable with the 1:15 scale. #2 would only have been a 1-1.5 minute parallel error had I not misread the control code. I found the control, but even at a close distance, it seemed to read 138, because the middle 8 was faded. So I ran around in the area for five more minutes, relocating off several different features and coming back to the same control. Finally, I looked very closely and realized the control code had actually, at some point, been 188. Grr. After this, I had a good race technically. I had to hesitate on several legs, costing me some time, but I felt on top of the navigation.
RESULTS: 18th/30 in D21
ANALYSIS: ~3 minutes lost on #1, ~7 on #2, and a further ~2 in the control circle on #6. Plus some notable hesitation (30 seconds total) on #4, #7. Again, top 5 was doable with an excellent race, but unrealistic.
THOUGHTS: I know I can run just about as fast as Becka in the woods, so comparing our split times from the course today makes me realize just how much I have to slow down to navigate. I think I'm finally beginning to understand my limitations. Either I run fast (like I did yesterday) and make lots of small mistakes, or I run relatively safely (like I did today) and lose time by going slowly and hesitating to look at the map. Either way, I cannot possibly do better than several minutes behind the leaders, unless I have an exceptionally good day. I'm just not quick enough with the navigation yet. But, as with everything else, time and practice will help.
Running warm up/down 11:42 [2] 1.2 mi (9:45 / mi)
shoes: Green VJ Integrators
Cool-down run along a nice path through the woods.
Stretching 6:00 [0]
Saturday Sep 15, 2007 #
Running warm up/down 11:00 [2] 1.22 mi (9:00 / mi)
shoes: Green VJ Integrators
Orienteering 34:49 3.5 km (9:57 / km)
shoes: Green VJ Integrators
EVENT: Bromma-Vällingby SOK, middle distance
COURSE: D21, 3.5 km, 14 controls
MAP: Lovön, 1:10,000, 4m contours
TERRAIN: Very technical Stockholm terrain, with fast running (for Sweden, anyway) and pretty good visibility. Hills sort of gradual rather than distinct blobs, which caused quite a few people to go off their bearings...
MY RUN: My legs felt very fresh after taking it easy the last few days and I enjoyed running through these woods so much. I felt like I could run over just about anything. So physically I felt great. Technically, I felt like I was all over the place, although my big mistakes were actually only 1:30, 1:30, 1:30, and 1:45. I was really trying not to run too fast, but when I have so much energy, even running at what feels like an easy pace is too fast for my navigation skills. I suppose this is why I run my better races when I am tired...
RESULTS: 26th out of 58 in D21
ANALYSIS: 6:15 lost due to my four big mistakes, another 2 minutes in total lost to hesitation (slowing/stopping to read the map, especially when the terrain wasn't what I expected). With a fast and clean run, top 5 was doable. But of course this is unrealistic for me. I can run that fast, but I certainly can't navigate at that speed!
THOUGHTS: This race was too short. Just as I had finally gotten used to the map and the terrain, the course ended. Grrr.
COURSE: D21, 3.5 km, 14 controls
MAP: Lovön, 1:10,000, 4m contours
TERRAIN: Very technical Stockholm terrain, with fast running (for Sweden, anyway) and pretty good visibility. Hills sort of gradual rather than distinct blobs, which caused quite a few people to go off their bearings...
MY RUN: My legs felt very fresh after taking it easy the last few days and I enjoyed running through these woods so much. I felt like I could run over just about anything. So physically I felt great. Technically, I felt like I was all over the place, although my big mistakes were actually only 1:30, 1:30, 1:30, and 1:45. I was really trying not to run too fast, but when I have so much energy, even running at what feels like an easy pace is too fast for my navigation skills. I suppose this is why I run my better races when I am tired...
RESULTS: 26th out of 58 in D21
ANALYSIS: 6:15 lost due to my four big mistakes, another 2 minutes in total lost to hesitation (slowing/stopping to read the map, especially when the terrain wasn't what I expected). With a fast and clean run, top 5 was doable. But of course this is unrealistic for me. I can run that fast, but I certainly can't navigate at that speed!
THOUGHTS: This race was too short. Just as I had finally gotten used to the map and the terrain, the course ended. Grrr.
Friday Sep 14, 2007 #
Note
(rest day)
Thursday Sep 13, 2007 #
Running (trail/gravel) 1:29:13 [2] 13.0 km (6:52 / km)
shoes: Brooks 07
A shortish long run on the gravel road to Eriksberg, over Kung Björn's hill, along small paths (some very overgrown and indistinct) in Nåsten, then back home. I kept the pace easy because my legs are fairly tired.
Strength Training (gym) 38:00 [1]
Everything except upper legs and triceps.
Stretching 6:00 [0]
Wednesday Sep 12, 2007 #
Running 59:40 6.45 mi (9:15 / mi)
shoes: Orange Asics
An easy run in Stadsskogen, alone. It was nice to be out by myself.
Stretching 6:00 [0]
Tuesday Sep 11, 2007 #
Running 9:09 [2] 1.02 mi (9:00 / mi)
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes
Running to the backbana.
Running 33:37 [4] 5.06 km (6:39 / km) +300m 5:07 / km
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes
Backbana tempo run, with Boris. This was fun! I started out a bit tentatively, but fell into step after about fifteen minutes. Ran up most of the hills, but walked in a few places when I sensed it would be faster. I think I could drop 30 seconds off my time just by wearing more appropriate shoes and knowing the route.
Running 9:01 [2] 1.0 mi (9:00 / mi)
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes
Running back to the MIC.
Running 30:00 5.0 km (6:00 / km)
shoes: Green VJ Integrators
OK Linné club relay practice. This was a really fun activity for people of all ages - from little kids to H21s. Unfortunately I felt dead tired and completely bonked at the end. Will try take it easy the next few days.
Monday Sep 10, 2007 #
Cross-Training 6:00 [1]
Random stuff to warm up.
Strength Training (gym) 45:00 [1]
Running 31:30 [3] 3.94 mi (8:00 / mi)
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes
A run with Andrew, Patrick, and Boris.
Orienteering 28:00 4.0 km (7:00 / km)
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes
Did a short course around Stadsskogen with Patrick. This was really fun! I have a bunch of new bruises now, though. One close to my knee, when I tripped over a branch trying to out-sprint Patrick to a control, and one on my left shoulder. The second one actually hurts quite a bit, but I don't remember how it happened.
Running 8:00 [2] 0.89 mi (9:00 / mi)
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes
Jogging home.
Sunday Sep 9, 2007 #
Running warm up/down 9:30 [2] 1.0 mi (9:30 / mi)
shoes: Green VJ Integrators
Orienteering 1:14:41 6.4 km (11:40 / km)
shoes: Green VJ Integrators
EVENT: Uppland District Relay Champs
COURSE: 1st leg of D21 relay, 6.4 km, course BA, 13 controls
MAP: Sigtuna, 1:10,000, 2.5m contours
TERRAIN: Lovely runnable forest with some intricate sections, hillier than the typical Uppland terrain. Overall, fast and enjoyable woods.
MY RUN: This was a learning experience. I've never run first leg before at a relatively big relay and I made a few mistakes today. The only one I will describe in detail here is the mistake to the first control, because it set the stage for the rest of the race, so to speak.
We picked up our maps and I quickly figured out my route to the first control and the control number. Meanwhile, the pack of girls was moving at a speed more appropriate for racing 1500 meters on the track rather than running 6.4 km through the woods. The first control was a rock off a trail, so all I had to do was take the right trails and not get confused. This was harder than it seemed. There were girls in front of me, so I couldn't see what was up ahead. There were girls behind me, so I couldn't really stop or slow down unless I moved off to the side. At one trail junction, I hesitated, looked at my map, and decided I needed to go right. This turned out to be the wrong trail, as I quickly realized. I cut through the woods and managed to relocate once on the right path and find my control, but I'd lost about 1.5 minutes, enough to lose the faster girls. If I had just followed the others instead of navigating on my own, this wouldn't have happened. But I've gotten to the point where I am no longer interested in following other people. I made a lot of mistakes today, but at least they were my mistakes, and not somebody else's. But running first leg requires paying attention to other people. I think that if I had to do it over again, I would think harder before breaking away from the other girls to take my own route to the first control.
Despite my extremely poor result, I enjoyed myself out there. And I think that with some practice running first leg, I can become quite good at it. I like running with other people and I like running fast.
COURSE: 1st leg of D21 relay, 6.4 km, course BA, 13 controls
MAP: Sigtuna, 1:10,000, 2.5m contours
TERRAIN: Lovely runnable forest with some intricate sections, hillier than the typical Uppland terrain. Overall, fast and enjoyable woods.
MY RUN: This was a learning experience. I've never run first leg before at a relatively big relay and I made a few mistakes today. The only one I will describe in detail here is the mistake to the first control, because it set the stage for the rest of the race, so to speak.
We picked up our maps and I quickly figured out my route to the first control and the control number. Meanwhile, the pack of girls was moving at a speed more appropriate for racing 1500 meters on the track rather than running 6.4 km through the woods. The first control was a rock off a trail, so all I had to do was take the right trails and not get confused. This was harder than it seemed. There were girls in front of me, so I couldn't see what was up ahead. There were girls behind me, so I couldn't really stop or slow down unless I moved off to the side. At one trail junction, I hesitated, looked at my map, and decided I needed to go right. This turned out to be the wrong trail, as I quickly realized. I cut through the woods and managed to relocate once on the right path and find my control, but I'd lost about 1.5 minutes, enough to lose the faster girls. If I had just followed the others instead of navigating on my own, this wouldn't have happened. But I've gotten to the point where I am no longer interested in following other people. I made a lot of mistakes today, but at least they were my mistakes, and not somebody else's. But running first leg requires paying attention to other people. I think that if I had to do it over again, I would think harder before breaking away from the other girls to take my own route to the first control.
Despite my extremely poor result, I enjoyed myself out there. And I think that with some practice running first leg, I can become quite good at it. I like running with other people and I like running fast.
Running warm up/down 2:00 [1]
Started to do a cool-down with Boris, but both of us were pretty tired.
Saturday Sep 8, 2007 #
Running 12:00 [2] 1.45 mi (8:16 / mi)
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes 07
Running to the start, reasonably quickly because it was raining and I was cold.
Orienteering 40:55 **** 4.0 km (10:14 / km)
spiked:14/17c shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes
EVENT: Uppland District Champs, middle distance.
COURSE: D21, 4.0 km, 17 controls
MAP: Eksunda, 1:10,000, 2.5m contours
TERRAIN: Typical technical Swedish forest. The course went through mostly white woods, with lots of small dot knolls and rocks.
MY RACE: I started off very tentatively, since I haven't seen Swedish terrain since mid-May. Despite trying to be careful, I lost time on three out of the four first controls.(Not that this is an excuse, but a lot of people lost time on these controls. They were tricky.) After that I started getting into the map and doing well. I saw a few Swedes out there, including Becka, and at first I thought I'd end up just running in a pack the rest of the way. But then, just like in Latvia, I started to gain confidence after running with others for a couple of controls and then took off on my own. My best split on the course was to #14, where I navigated entirely on my own and actually had Swedes following me! By the end of the race I was flying. I wish there were a few more km to go. I might have picked up a few more places.
MISTAKES: 6.5 minutes lost on #1, #3, #4
RESULTS: 13th out of 36 in D21. Winner was Annika Billstam, 30:41.
COURSE: D21, 4.0 km, 17 controls
MAP: Eksunda, 1:10,000, 2.5m contours
TERRAIN: Typical technical Swedish forest. The course went through mostly white woods, with lots of small dot knolls and rocks.
MY RACE: I started off very tentatively, since I haven't seen Swedish terrain since mid-May. Despite trying to be careful, I lost time on three out of the four first controls.(Not that this is an excuse, but a lot of people lost time on these controls. They were tricky.) After that I started getting into the map and doing well. I saw a few Swedes out there, including Becka, and at first I thought I'd end up just running in a pack the rest of the way. But then, just like in Latvia, I started to gain confidence after running with others for a couple of controls and then took off on my own. My best split on the course was to #14, where I navigated entirely on my own and actually had Swedes following me! By the end of the race I was flying. I wish there were a few more km to go. I might have picked up a few more places.
MISTAKES: 6.5 minutes lost on #1, #3, #4
RESULTS: 13th out of 36 in D21. Winner was Annika Billstam, 30:41.
Running warm up/down 10:00 [2] 1.18 mi (8:28 / mi)
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes
Jogging after the finish, before quickly changing to dry clothes. It was raining all morning!
Friday Sep 7, 2007 #
Note
(rest day)
Still feel a bit jetlagged and also on the verge of a cold. Stayed home with Boris, Thai food, and a movie.
Thursday Sep 6, 2007 #
Running 2:28:45 * 22.0 km (6:46 / km)
shoes: Orange Asics
A long line-O on trails in Nåsten, with a few stops to drop off/pick up some stuff (water, gloves, keys) and look at the map. At least 2/3 of the run was on gravel or wide horse trails, but I also put in a few sections on narrow, partly indistinct paths. There were a few unmapped trails in these areas, so I got lost a few times and even had to cut through the woods twice, but I always got back on the right trail eventually. I went up the hill on the east edge of Nåsten three times, but it felt very short. After this summer, I am never going to look at a hill in the same way again. I did start feeling sort of tired at the end, but after I had some water for the second time, after 2hrs, I was feeling good and the last ten minutes were at a very nice pace. Gorgeous weather, too. Didn't need the gloves.
Stretching 6:00 [0]
Note
I went to bed somewhere around 11-12 last night. This morning, by the time I finally decided to open my eyes and get out of bed, it was 12:22, early afternoon!!! I don't remember the last time I woke up this late. Just goes to show how completely messed up my body is right now....Hopefully a few more days will fix the jetlag and I can have a regular sleep cycle again.
Wednesday Sep 5, 2007 #
Running 1:20:03 [2] 9.42 mi (8:30 / mi)
shoes: Nike Pegasus
Easy run in Stadsskogen with Patrick. Nice weather, although chilly enough for me to wear my thermal gloves. I am still very jet-lagged, but I felt good running. I am ready to start being fast again!
Strength Training 19:00 [1]
Core and some leg strength after the run.
Stretching 6:00 [0]
Tuesday Sep 4, 2007 #
Running warm up/down 16:33 [2] 1.89 mi (8:45 / mi)
shoes: Orange Asics
Orienteering 19:19 2.1 km (9:12 / km)
slept:0.0 shoes: Orange Asics
OK Linne sprint championships. I was extremely hesitant in the beginning, stopping several times and taking a few wrong turns after misreading the map. It's been a long time since I've had to decide on route choice around buildings/fences instead of just going straight and I was extremely out of practice. But after the fifth control I got it together and started racing. I have some very nice splits from the second half of the course and Boris said I looked fast. This was sort of unexpected because I skipped a night of sleep entirely and was therefore jetlagged all day, doing all I could just to keep my eyes open. But once I was up and running, I felt great!
Running 8:49 [2] 0.98 mi (9:00 / mi)
shoes: Orange Asics
Running home, with Patrick.
Monday Sep 3, 2007 #
Note
(rest day)
Flight to Sweden.
Note
Since I am a student, my year begins in the fall. So, strange as it may seem, I am now thinking about the past year and making new year's resolutions for the next one. My general thoughts are as follows:
1. My orienteering improved dramatically this past year and I have gained a ton of experience, but of course my results were highly inconsistent. I had some great runs - winning W21L at a British national event, coming in 34/40 in D21E in a very competitive Swedish field, finishing 17/21 in D21E in Latvia. I also had some terrible runs - the Varsity Match, BUSA, JK Middle, Swedish Rehn BK middle, Latvia middle. Yes, there's a pattern. The races I did well in were classics, the ones I did poorly in tended to be middles.
2. My strength and endurance increased this past year and my hill-running abilities can now be described as "average" (whereas before this summer, they would have been "poor" or more likely "pathetic.") My speed, however, has remained about the same. This is because I did basically no intervals this past year. It was hard to race 1-2 times each weekend and recover quickly enough to be able to do quality intervals during the week, so I cut them out of my schedule. I hope this year will be different.
3. I did some wonderful base training this summer. It was the first time I attempted to do base training (by which I mean long, easy sessions, with the focus being endurance and strength) and it was one of my most successful training periods so far. It's made me tougher, mentally and physically. I feel a lot calmer now. And excited to be orienteering again!!
So, focus this year will be:
1. Get as much practice with sprints and middles as possible
2. Look at as many long legs as possible (route choice)
3. Improve speed and hill-running
4. Try to run each orienteering race as cleanly as possible (consistency!!)
1. My orienteering improved dramatically this past year and I have gained a ton of experience, but of course my results were highly inconsistent. I had some great runs - winning W21L at a British national event, coming in 34/40 in D21E in a very competitive Swedish field, finishing 17/21 in D21E in Latvia. I also had some terrible runs - the Varsity Match, BUSA, JK Middle, Swedish Rehn BK middle, Latvia middle. Yes, there's a pattern. The races I did well in were classics, the ones I did poorly in tended to be middles.
2. My strength and endurance increased this past year and my hill-running abilities can now be described as "average" (whereas before this summer, they would have been "poor" or more likely "pathetic.") My speed, however, has remained about the same. This is because I did basically no intervals this past year. It was hard to race 1-2 times each weekend and recover quickly enough to be able to do quality intervals during the week, so I cut them out of my schedule. I hope this year will be different.
3. I did some wonderful base training this summer. It was the first time I attempted to do base training (by which I mean long, easy sessions, with the focus being endurance and strength) and it was one of my most successful training periods so far. It's made me tougher, mentally and physically. I feel a lot calmer now. And excited to be orienteering again!!
So, focus this year will be:
1. Get as much practice with sprints and middles as possible
2. Look at as many long legs as possible (route choice)
3. Improve speed and hill-running
4. Try to run each orienteering race as cleanly as possible (consistency!!)
Sunday Sep 2, 2007 #
Orienteering 1:00:00 [2] 6.0 km (10:00 / km)
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes 07
Running a course with Aleksey, incorporating most of the controls from the WCOC score-O. We stopped at each control so that he could plan the next leg and tell me what features he expected to see along the way. We alternated between doing slow legs and somewhat faster ones - first he would lead, with me guiding him, then I would lead and tell him what I was looking for and occasionally stop to point out certain features. It worked out great. Aleksey did really well considering that he's only orienteered a handful of times. I would have enjoyed running a few fast legs on my own, because the woods were lovely, but that's ok. I'll have plenty of opportunities to orienteer in September.
Saturday Sep 1, 2007 #
Running warm up/down 14:44 [2] 1.73 mi (8:30 / mi)
shoes: Orange Asics
Orienteering 48:18 4.83 km (10:00 / km)
shoes: Orange Asics
Running a course in Forest Park set by Greg. This was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. There were flags out, the course was printed, and it felt like real orienteering! I got really lost on a few of the first controls, a combination of the somewhat sketchy trails and my own foolishness. I was also distracted a couple of times by gay men in various states of undress and activity. This reminds me that I need to work on keeping my focus, even when there are exposed men lying around on logs. Anyway, the second half of the course went much better, since the trail network wasn't so dense there and there weren't so many distractions. Also, the humidity seemed lower today so I actually felt pretty comfortable while running.
Running warm up/down 15:00 [2] 1.67 mi (9:00 / mi)
shoes: Orange Asics
Stretching 5:00 [0]