Training Log Archive: KatIn the 31 days ending Mar 31, 2007:
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Saturday Mar 31, 2007 #
Running warm up/down 7:00 [2] 0.78 mi (8:59 / mi)
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes
Running to the start. Legs felt heavy - still tired from last weekend? Even though I haven't trained much, the last few days have been pretty hectic - lots of walking, biking, and errands. So not the best recovery, I suppose.
Orienteering 1:15:48 [4] 5.7 km (13:18 / km) +300m 10:32 / km
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes
EVENT: BUSA 2007
COURSE: Women's A, 5.7 km, 300m climb, 20 controls
MAP: Arncliffe Wood and Scarth Wood Moor, 1:10, 5m contours
TERRAIN: One really steep hillside with some rock features. The white was not necessarily more runnable than the green because there were unmapped fallen trees. Then on top was open moorland, with a few sections of heather but overall pretty fast runnability. A few pockets of detail here and there, but nothing too technical.
MY RUN: The combination of not running for five days and then doing steep climb killed my calves. The bottoms and sides of my lower legs were hurting on the way up to the fourth control, and for the rest of the course I was struggling. Obviously it was very steep and tough for everyone, but my calves were so bad I couldn't speed up even when I finally got to run on a flattish trail. They hurt going downhill! I did manage to get round the course, but it was very slow-going and mentally quite difficult. In some ways it was like a repeat of the Varsity Match (steep, hurting, knowing I'd have a bad result) but this time I managed to maintain a more positive attitude, which is progress. I feel like I made the best of a bad situation. And in the future I will force myself to jog more before such steep courses and make sure my calves are warmed up properly.
RESULTS: 25th out of 40. If I was feeling good and had a clean run, I could have probably gone around 57 minutes or faster, so coming in around 7th or 8th place was doable. Looking at the splits now, I again see the same thing I've seen before - even when I am tired and feel like I am dying, I am still faster than all but the really good runners, so if I can just keep it together mentally, I can still have a good result. Tough, but doable. Will try tomorrow...
COURSE: Women's A, 5.7 km, 300m climb, 20 controls
MAP: Arncliffe Wood and Scarth Wood Moor, 1:10, 5m contours
TERRAIN: One really steep hillside with some rock features. The white was not necessarily more runnable than the green because there were unmapped fallen trees. Then on top was open moorland, with a few sections of heather but overall pretty fast runnability. A few pockets of detail here and there, but nothing too technical.
MY RUN: The combination of not running for five days and then doing steep climb killed my calves. The bottoms and sides of my lower legs were hurting on the way up to the fourth control, and for the rest of the course I was struggling. Obviously it was very steep and tough for everyone, but my calves were so bad I couldn't speed up even when I finally got to run on a flattish trail. They hurt going downhill! I did manage to get round the course, but it was very slow-going and mentally quite difficult. In some ways it was like a repeat of the Varsity Match (steep, hurting, knowing I'd have a bad result) but this time I managed to maintain a more positive attitude, which is progress. I feel like I made the best of a bad situation. And in the future I will force myself to jog more before such steep courses and make sure my calves are warmed up properly.
RESULTS: 25th out of 40. If I was feeling good and had a clean run, I could have probably gone around 57 minutes or faster, so coming in around 7th or 8th place was doable. Looking at the splits now, I again see the same thing I've seen before - even when I am tired and feel like I am dying, I am still faster than all but the really good runners, so if I can just keep it together mentally, I can still have a good result. Tough, but doable. Will try tomorrow...
Friday Mar 30, 2007 #
Note
(rest day)
Spent most of the day walking around Oxford buying various small things and browsing in bookstores. Then drove up north to Leeds and spent the night in a hotel - 9 people in two 3-person rooms.
Thursday Mar 29, 2007 #
Cross-Training (elliptical) 30:00 [1]
Wearing Tevas again. Legs feel tired.
Strength Training (gym) 30:00 [1]
Mostly core.
Stretching 5:00 [1]
Note
I feel almost completely healthy today. Still have some left-over coughing and tiredness, but definite improvement. Flight to England tonight.
Wednesday Mar 28, 2007 #
Map-hiking 45:00 [1]
Linne training session on Fiby. My blisters are still far from healed, so I wore socks and Tevas to walk around the nearest controls and take photos. Was very slow-going and I had to make a few detours to avoid getting my feet wet, but still a worthwhile technical training. I have some nice pictures of dot knolls and rocks now :)
Tuesday Mar 27, 2007 #
Cross-Training (elliptical) 30:00 [1]
Went to the gym wearing Tevas without the backs, so as to not make my blisters worse. Worked out ok.
Strength Training 25:00 [1]
Core and upper body only.
Stretching 5:00 [1]
Note
(sick)
I woke up several times last night coughing, so didn't get much sleep. Blah. But at least it looks like the worst of the illness is over, so I should start feeling better soon. I'm going to take this week easy and hope to be well by Saturday. BUSA is going to be really steep and I start second-to-last, between Lizzie Adams and Rachel Elder!
Monday Mar 26, 2007 #
Note
(sick) (rest day)
I ran this weekend even though I was sick because I really wanted to. And even though I couldn't run very fast and my shoes were killing me, I still had fun out in the woods and I think I learned a lot from my mistakes. So I have no regrets. But I am very happy that the next five days are planned recovery. I have bad blisters, very tired legs, and an annoying cold. I am hoping that all of it will go by Friday.
Sunday Mar 25, 2007 #
Running warm up/down 5:00 [2] 0.53 mi (9:26 / mi)
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes
Orienteering 1:29:40 [3] ***** 6.5 km (13:48 / km)
ahr:150 max:173 (sick) shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes
EVENT: Måsenstafetten 2007
COURSE: B8, 6.5 km, 17 controls
MAP: Lappbacken, 1:10,000, 4m contours
TERRAIN: Very detailed, relatively hilly, with a LOT of dot knolls. The map is very good - relates to the terrain very clearly. Pretty good visibility overall.
MY RUN: I felt pretty beat up when I started. After getting horrible blisters on Friday night and then making them worse on Saturday, I did not want to put on shoes today. But I taped them up yet again and decided to wear my fell-running shoes instead of the Sarvas, which are very slippery on bare rock but softer on my heels. I was lucky in that most of the rocks were covered by moss today, so the footing wasn't too bad. Just like yesterday, I had one disastrous control (13+ minute mistake) and a few smaller ones, but overall I felt quite good about my navigation. And I really enjoyed running parts of the course! It was pretty and the map matched up with the terrain really well.
COURSE: B8, 6.5 km, 17 controls
MAP: Lappbacken, 1:10,000, 4m contours
TERRAIN: Very detailed, relatively hilly, with a LOT of dot knolls. The map is very good - relates to the terrain very clearly. Pretty good visibility overall.
MY RUN: I felt pretty beat up when I started. After getting horrible blisters on Friday night and then making them worse on Saturday, I did not want to put on shoes today. But I taped them up yet again and decided to wear my fell-running shoes instead of the Sarvas, which are very slippery on bare rock but softer on my heels. I was lucky in that most of the rocks were covered by moss today, so the footing wasn't too bad. Just like yesterday, I had one disastrous control (13+ minute mistake) and a few smaller ones, but overall I felt quite good about my navigation. And I really enjoyed running parts of the course! It was pretty and the map matched up with the terrain really well.
Saturday Mar 24, 2007 #
Running warm up/down 8:00 [2] 0.86 mi (9:18 / mi)
Orienteering race 1:26:23 [4] **** 8.4 km (10:17 / km)
(sick) shoes: Sarvas
EVENT: Kringelträffen
COURSE: D21E, 8.4km, 17 controls
MAP: Särtryck ur Nykvarn Västra, 1:15, 5m contours
TERRAIN: The Swedes call this "open" terrain. I suppose I've seen worse, but the marshes, undergrowth, and areas of brashings were as hard as ever to run through. Otherwise, the yellow hilltops were obvious, the visibility was low in quite a few places, and there were more trails than is typical for a Swedish map (not that I got to run on them much).
MY RUN: I made one huge mistake on #7 (8+ minutes) and a few more smaller mistakes, but other than that, I was quite pleased with my run. My legs felt quite heavy from yesterday, so I was by no means running fast, but I was navigating much better than I did during the races I ran in Sweden in September. I have more confidence in myself now and I can read the map much more easily. It is still very hard for me to relocate and fix a mistake once one has happened (hence the disaster on #7), but I am clearly getting better!
RESULTS: My time was 1:26:23. The winning time was 59:15 by Kristina Skog. The Swedish elite class is fast! Winsplits claims that I would have run around 70 minutes at my pace without mistakes, which probably means I could have run about 67-68 minutes if I did so and had fresh legs. But that's still a far bit away from 59. Elite Swedes are impressive!
COURSE: D21E, 8.4km, 17 controls
MAP: Särtryck ur Nykvarn Västra, 1:15, 5m contours
TERRAIN: The Swedes call this "open" terrain. I suppose I've seen worse, but the marshes, undergrowth, and areas of brashings were as hard as ever to run through. Otherwise, the yellow hilltops were obvious, the visibility was low in quite a few places, and there were more trails than is typical for a Swedish map (not that I got to run on them much).
MY RUN: I made one huge mistake on #7 (8+ minutes) and a few more smaller mistakes, but other than that, I was quite pleased with my run. My legs felt quite heavy from yesterday, so I was by no means running fast, but I was navigating much better than I did during the races I ran in Sweden in September. I have more confidence in myself now and I can read the map much more easily. It is still very hard for me to relocate and fix a mistake once one has happened (hence the disaster on #7), but I am clearly getting better!
RESULTS: My time was 1:26:23. The winning time was 59:15 by Kristina Skog. The Swedish elite class is fast! Winsplits claims that I would have run around 70 minutes at my pace without mistakes, which probably means I could have run about 67-68 minutes if I did so and had fresh legs. But that's still a far bit away from 59. Elite Swedes are impressive!
Note
I think this is the shortest gap that I've ever had between two orienteering races on consecutive days. I was out in the woods till after 11PM on Friday night. By the time I got home and went to bed it was after 1AM. Then I got up at 5:30 AM to pack my stuff and head over to the clubhouse. And my official start time was 10:24 AM. I was excited, but tired...
Friday Mar 23, 2007 #
Orienteering 3:00:00 [2] ***** 12.0 km (15:00 / km)
(sick) shoes: Sarvas
EVENT: Natträvarnas natt
COURSE: D21L, 6.78 km, 13 controls
MAP: Gissjön, 1:15, 4m contours
TERRAIN: Reasonably hilly and very technical. The green parts were quite nasty and the dark green was waist-high brashings. The contours were a bit hard to read - even Ulrik said that there were parts that looked like cliffs and weren't mapped as such. With some maps the terrain seems to match up perfectly, but this was not one of them.
MY RUN: I was really excited about doing this because Ulrik told me it is one of the hardest Swedish night-O races. First, the organizers choose very tricky terrain. Then they set day courses on the map. (Usually night-O courses are set a bit differently, to account for the fact that visibility is lower at night, but not this time!) Finally, they put the reflectors low on the sides of features opposite from approach, so that the orienteer must navigate to the feature first and only then see the control. The end result is that there is nothing unfair about this race, but it is wicked hard! So of course I had to do it :)
I started off very well, spiking the first control right on, but then the trouble started. Even though I tried to read the contours and really focus, it was still very difficult. Technically as well as physically. There was one leg which went straight through the green. I attempted going around the green somewhat, but that particular part of the map was relatively flat and featureless, so I was lost, and went back to relocate. Then I went through the green, but it was brashings all the way! Lots of branches and entire trees lying on the ground, making even walking difficult. I spent almost half an hour on that control, but I was quite pleased that at the end I relocated at a stream junction, went straight through the green on my compass, and found the dot knoll. Even if it took me a few tries to do it right, at least I got it eventually. The same occured on several other controls. I would invariably make mistakes, and since the terrain was so tough, it would take a while to fix them, but I did figure it out eventually.
RESULTS: Sadly, I did not finish. I did about 6km of the course, but when I was looking for #10, I realized I'd been out for a while and should go back so that Ulrik would not have to wait for me. But I was changed and ready to go before he came out of the woods, because he'd had a tough time out there as well. A bit disappointing, since I hate to DNF, but on the other hand I did the toughest parts of the course, so I didn't miss much by not visiting the last few controls.
COMMENT: This has got to be the world's hardest night-O. So cool!
COURSE: D21L, 6.78 km, 13 controls
MAP: Gissjön, 1:15, 4m contours
TERRAIN: Reasonably hilly and very technical. The green parts were quite nasty and the dark green was waist-high brashings. The contours were a bit hard to read - even Ulrik said that there were parts that looked like cliffs and weren't mapped as such. With some maps the terrain seems to match up perfectly, but this was not one of them.
MY RUN: I was really excited about doing this because Ulrik told me it is one of the hardest Swedish night-O races. First, the organizers choose very tricky terrain. Then they set day courses on the map. (Usually night-O courses are set a bit differently, to account for the fact that visibility is lower at night, but not this time!) Finally, they put the reflectors low on the sides of features opposite from approach, so that the orienteer must navigate to the feature first and only then see the control. The end result is that there is nothing unfair about this race, but it is wicked hard! So of course I had to do it :)
I started off very well, spiking the first control right on, but then the trouble started. Even though I tried to read the contours and really focus, it was still very difficult. Technically as well as physically. There was one leg which went straight through the green. I attempted going around the green somewhat, but that particular part of the map was relatively flat and featureless, so I was lost, and went back to relocate. Then I went through the green, but it was brashings all the way! Lots of branches and entire trees lying on the ground, making even walking difficult. I spent almost half an hour on that control, but I was quite pleased that at the end I relocated at a stream junction, went straight through the green on my compass, and found the dot knoll. Even if it took me a few tries to do it right, at least I got it eventually. The same occured on several other controls. I would invariably make mistakes, and since the terrain was so tough, it would take a while to fix them, but I did figure it out eventually.
RESULTS: Sadly, I did not finish. I did about 6km of the course, but when I was looking for #10, I realized I'd been out for a while and should go back so that Ulrik would not have to wait for me. But I was changed and ready to go before he came out of the woods, because he'd had a tough time out there as well. A bit disappointing, since I hate to DNF, but on the other hand I did the toughest parts of the course, so I didn't miss much by not visiting the last few controls.
COMMENT: This has got to be the world's hardest night-O. So cool!
Running warm up/down 10:00 [2] 1.1 mi (9:06 / mi)
shoes: Sarvas
Running before and after.
Thursday Mar 22, 2007 #
Note
(sick)
Have had a scratchy throat and achy feeling the last couple of days, but last night I woke up feverish, so I am now officially sick. Theraflu helped and I lazed around in bed till almost 11, so I feel more alive now. This isn't the most convenient time to be sick, because I was planning on doing three pretty long races on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, but on the other hand it could be worse. At least it's not the Thursday before the JK!
Wednesday Mar 21, 2007 #
Cross-Training warm up/down (elliptical) 10:00 [1]
Strength Training (gym) 50:00 [1]
Stretching 10:00 [1]
Very thorough stretching session. Felt peaceful.
Running 2:30 [1]
Started jogging, but realized I wasn't getting any warmer, so changed one of my layers to a warmer top. Then I had to hurry and didn't have time to do a proper warm-up run.
Orienteering 1:09:56 [2] **** 4.61 km (15:10 / km)
ahr:135 max:157 shoes: Sarvas
The last Wednesday night-O, signifying the end of winter and start of daylight orienteering. I have been feeling kind of sick since yesterday morning, so decided to try and take it easy tonight. I alternated between jogging slowly and walking through the rougher parts. The woods were quite physical - lots of rocks, branches, and undergrowth. I found all of the controls and discovered that I am tons better at relocating than I used to be, but my orienteering wasn't that great. It was hard to be focused and concentrate while going at an easy pace because my mind would wander.
Tuesday Mar 20, 2007 #
Running hills (terrain) 1:13:34 [4] ** 10.1 km (7:17 / km) +300m 6:21 / km
ahr:163 max:182 shoes: Sarvas
Tuesday night line-O on Nåsten, course Y. This course was designed by Sofie to be the hilliest possible and indeed it felt quite tough. There is one short but steep hill on the east side of Nåsten and we went up it six times. This was made even harder by the slushy mud on the ground, so it felt like a really good workout! I read the map for the first twenty minutes just fine, but then found it quite difficult to read because going uphill meant trying to find some semi-solid ground to place my feet on and going downhill meant sliding and trying not to fall on my face. And I got my lamp knocked off twice! But at least after the hilliest part of the course was over, I slowed down to navigate, so I did get a bit of O-training in tonight. :)
Strength Training (core) 5:00 [1]
I felt really organized today, so actually managed to do my usual core workout after the run.
Stretching 5:00 [1]
Monday Mar 19, 2007 #
Running 33:22 [2] * 4.09 mi (8:10 / mi)
shoes: Nike Pegasus
An easy trail line-O in Stadsskogen in the early afternoon. I wasn't planning on doing this, but I needed a break from working. Now I'm glad I went because this was the first easy run I've enjoyed in a long, long time. I felt really good. Very relaxed. I've never understood what a recovery run is supposed to feel like before, but I do now. Today was perfect.
Cross-Training 1:00:00 [2]
ahr:135 max:165
Approximately 10 minutes erging, 15 minutes on the elliptical, and the rest on the stair machine (mostly level 7). Reasonably boring, but better than being outside. I got lucky with the nice weather during my run...
Strength Training (gym) 45:00 [1]
Full strength workout today.
Stretching 6:00 [1]
Sunday Mar 18, 2007 #
Note
(rest day)
I meant to go to the gym tonight and take tomorrow off, but unfortunately I ate a whole chunk of brie followed by carrot cake, which left me absolutely unable to move. So rest day it is!
Saturday Mar 17, 2007 #
Running warm up/down 6:00 [2] 1.09 km (5:30 / km)
ahr:136 max:154 shoes: Sarvas
Orienteering 1:05:47 [4] ***** 5.5 km (11:58 / km)
ahr:161 max:176 12c shoes: Sarvas
OK Linne had a training day today at Åkersberga. The first part of the day we had a race with small training kites and SI boxes.
COURSE: 5.5 km, 12 controls
MAP: 1:15,000, 4 meter contours
TERRAIN: Very tough physically. Hilly, with lots of contour detail.
MY RUN: Even though I knew ahead of time that the map scale and contour intervals would be different from what I normally run on, I still found it difficult to adjust. I started searching for the flag too early on the first control, until I finally (and tentatively) moved forward and found it. Then I spiked #2 because it was a short leg with enough detail for me to read my way into the control. Then the process repeated, with me making a 10-minute mistake on #3 after stopping too early and then doing a good job with #4 because it was a shorter leg with lots of detail. The best part of the race was when Sofie caught me on #7 and I managed to stay with her until the last control. I am not quite at the level where I can run at her pace and navigate well, but I am not too far off either. I figured out two of the controls before she did and we messed up #9 together. It was very difficult, tricky terrain, so even the best orienteers made mistakes today. For my part, I learned a lot and I'm sure this will be helpful in the future.
RESULTS: 5th on the women's course. Sofie won in 49:06. I made about 20 minutes of mistakes (including one 10-minute mistake) and I won three splits.
COURSE: 5.5 km, 12 controls
MAP: 1:15,000, 4 meter contours
TERRAIN: Very tough physically. Hilly, with lots of contour detail.
MY RUN: Even though I knew ahead of time that the map scale and contour intervals would be different from what I normally run on, I still found it difficult to adjust. I started searching for the flag too early on the first control, until I finally (and tentatively) moved forward and found it. Then I spiked #2 because it was a short leg with enough detail for me to read my way into the control. Then the process repeated, with me making a 10-minute mistake on #3 after stopping too early and then doing a good job with #4 because it was a shorter leg with lots of detail. The best part of the race was when Sofie caught me on #7 and I managed to stay with her until the last control. I am not quite at the level where I can run at her pace and navigate well, but I am not too far off either. I figured out two of the controls before she did and we messed up #9 together. It was very difficult, tricky terrain, so even the best orienteers made mistakes today. For my part, I learned a lot and I'm sure this will be helpful in the future.
RESULTS: 5th on the women's course. Sofie won in 49:06. I made about 20 minutes of mistakes (including one 10-minute mistake) and I won three splits.
Running warm up/down 8:20 [1] 0.88 mi (9:28 / mi)
ahr:128 max:149 shoes: Sarvas
Cool-down jogging, first with Boris, then with Zan.
Running warm up/down 5:46 [2] 0.7 mi (8:14 / mi)
ahr:141 max:161 shoes: Sarvas
Running to the start with Zan.
Orienteering 47:31 [3] ***** 3.0 km (15:50 / km)
ahr:149 shoes: Sarvas
The second part of the training day consisted of doing several loops of 4 controls each. I did two of the most technical loops with Zan. We would start off together and go our separate ways to the controls, occasionally waiting for each other to make sure we found the right features. This was good training, because it allowed us to compare route choices and also to get more comfortable with the 4-meter contour intervals. I will try to make a list this evening of all of the little things I picked up today in terms of navigation in this type of terrain. Excellent day out in the woods!
Running warm up/down 4:21 [2] 0.51 mi (8:32 / mi)
ahr:145 shoes: Sarvas
Jogging back to the car.
Friday Mar 16, 2007 #
Aquajogging 1:00:30 [1]
Aquajogging at the pool with Boris. We gave each other anagrams to do for the first half hour, which made the time go by quickly.
C • Wow 5
Thursday Mar 15, 2007 #
Running warm up/down 18:58 [2] 2.37 mi (8:00 / mi)
ahr:138 max:155 shoes: Orange Asics
Jogging a loop on top of the backbana hill, sticking to the main trails.
Running 21:00 [5] 3.8 km (5:32 / km) +135m 4:42 / km
shoes: Orange Asics
I decided to skip the Linne interval session this evening in favor of doing hill intervals by myself. It was a sacrifice, but I made a promise to myself to do hills each week and I'm sticking to it. On the bright side, the loop I chose turned out to be absolutely perfect. The first 1/3 is on gravel and pavement, then the rest is on trails with some roots, rocks, and even a log to hop over. Lots of variety and change of direction, with a total length of about 0.72 km, with 45 meters climb.
On the first interval I was reading the map to make sure I took the right trails, which slowed me down once when I missed a small indistinct one and had to cut through the woods for 15 meters. On the other two I knew exactly where to go.
4:06 (164, 175) [3:08 (157) ]
3:55 (173, 178) [3:15 (159) ]
3:53 (173, 179)
Even though the recovery periods were longer than I would have liked, they worked out pretty well because I would run the downhills relatively fast and my HR was probably no lower than 150 when I started the second two intervals.
On the first interval I was reading the map to make sure I took the right trails, which slowed me down once when I missed a small indistinct one and had to cut through the woods for 15 meters. On the other two I knew exactly where to go.
4:06 (164, 175) [3:08 (157) ]
3:55 (173, 178) [3:15 (159) ]
3:53 (173, 179)
Even though the recovery periods were longer than I would have liked, they worked out pretty well because I would run the downhills relatively fast and my HR was probably no lower than 150 when I started the second two intervals.
Running warm up/down 17:30 [2] 2.06 mi (8:30 / mi)
ahr:143 max:164 shoes: Orange Asics
Cool-down loop around the top of the backbana.
Stability (wobbleboard) 10:00 [1]
Stretching 5:00 [1]
Note
Played several games of Catching Features. This is great for practicing to look at the map often and for visualization of terrain. It is sort of ironic that the only time I can play CF is when I am in Sweden...
Wednesday Mar 14, 2007 #
Cross-Training 12:00 [2]
Random stuff I did before and after the strength session - 2 minutes running to the gym, 3 minutes erging, 5 minutes on the stair machine, and 2 minutes running back home afterward.
Strength Training (gym) 36:00 [1]
The usual strengthening exercises. It is nice to do this in the morning when the gym isn't crowded.
Stretching 6:00 [1]
I have finally learned how to stretch my IT bands, so that's been added to my usual routine.
Running 8:41 [1] 1.45 km (5:59 / km)
ahr:122 max:133 shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes
Jogging to the start with the big pack of orienteers. It's cool to have so many people running in a group with headlamps. Since I don't live in Sweden full-time, it hasn't yet ceased to impress me.
Orienteering 42:27 [4] 5.9 km (7:12 / km)
ahr:168 max:183 shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes
EVENT: Uppsala Nattcup on Södra Uppsala
COURSE: D21, 5.9km, 10 controls
TERRAIN: Suburban area with sections of woodland, which makes for fun and fast orienteering.
MY RUN: It was quite good actually. There was a lot of detail on the map and I realized that it would take me more time to think and choose an optimal route for the long legs than to just execute a decent (but not perfect) one. So in general I tried to choose routes that were easy to execute and this worked out well for me. I did have a few moments of confusion/hesitation (about 3 minutes total away from a perfect run), but no serious mistakes. And by the end of the race I was feeling really, really good. The section from the last control to the finish was basically a trail run and I legged it. I love it when orienteering races end with a cross-country type run. Not one of those silly 100 meter dashes to the finish, but something a bit more substantial (like 400 meters).
RESULTS: I was 2nd on D21, 11 seconds behind Eva Nordkvist. And for the first time ever, Swedes actually came up to me after the race to compare routes! Hehe.
COURSE: D21, 5.9km, 10 controls
TERRAIN: Suburban area with sections of woodland, which makes for fun and fast orienteering.
MY RUN: It was quite good actually. There was a lot of detail on the map and I realized that it would take me more time to think and choose an optimal route for the long legs than to just execute a decent (but not perfect) one. So in general I tried to choose routes that were easy to execute and this worked out well for me. I did have a few moments of confusion/hesitation (about 3 minutes total away from a perfect run), but no serious mistakes. And by the end of the race I was feeling really, really good. The section from the last control to the finish was basically a trail run and I legged it. I love it when orienteering races end with a cross-country type run. Not one of those silly 100 meter dashes to the finish, but something a bit more substantial (like 400 meters).
RESULTS: I was 2nd on D21, 11 seconds behind Eva Nordkvist. And for the first time ever, Swedes actually came up to me after the race to compare routes! Hehe.
Running 12:23 [2] 2.4 km (5:10 / km)
ahr:134 max:143 shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes
A cool-down jog with Boris and various others along the lit path in Norby. Even after my fast finish, I felt like I had a lot of energy left. All of a sudden, after having dead legs for the past month, I felt remarkably fresh. I don't know if it's the sleep I've been getting the last few nights or the chocolate I've been consuming recently, but I must be doing something right. :)
Tuesday Mar 13, 2007 #
Running 7:11 [2] 1.2 km (5:59 / km)
ahr:128 max:158 shoes: Sarvas
Jogging to the start from the clubhouse.
Orienteering 1:58:00 [2] 8.0 km (14:45 / km)
ahr:119 shoes: Sarvas
A course on Nåsten that was about 7km straight-line distance, with 29 controls. I ran most of the time, but also walked through the thickest areas (where I couldn't run) and also whenever I couldn't read the map fast enough.
While looking at the map coming out of #1, I suddenly experienced a sharp pain. I had run straight into a branch, perpendicular to my face. I'm lucky that the hit was at the corner of my eye and not a bit more to the right. Although there was no serious damage done, this made me wary of branches and hence in the first part of the course (which went through a lot of green), I spent more time protecting my eyes than looking at the map. At least in the second part, I was running and felt like I had some flow. I'm going to try and get a pair of sports glasses to wear while orienteering, so that I don't have to worry so much about being blinded. I have enough problems with my eyes as is.
While looking at the map coming out of #1, I suddenly experienced a sharp pain. I had run straight into a branch, perpendicular to my face. I'm lucky that the hit was at the corner of my eye and not a bit more to the right. Although there was no serious damage done, this made me wary of branches and hence in the first part of the course (which went through a lot of green), I spent more time protecting my eyes than looking at the map. At least in the second part, I was running and felt like I had some flow. I'm going to try and get a pair of sports glasses to wear while orienteering, so that I don't have to worry so much about being blinded. I have enough problems with my eyes as is.
Running 7:17 [2] 1.21 km (6:01 / km)
ahr:132 max:150 shoes: Sarvas
Jogging back to the clubhouse. The melting snow has made the open areas very muddy!
Stretching 6:00 [1]
Monday Mar 12, 2007 #
Biking (Spinning) 1:00:12 [3]
ahr:129 max:152
Spinning session at the Ekeby gym, standing the entire time despite several evil glares from the instructor. The music was good and the room didn't feel as hot as I remember it being.
Strength Training (gym) 35:30 [1]
ahr:90 max:109
Full strength workout after spinning.
Stretching 5:00 [1]
Actually, stretching lasted closer to fifteen minutes because I got distracted talking to Lina Åkesson, but I'll put it down as my usual five. Lina is awesome.
Note
I thought about going for a map-hike, but decided to run a course tomorrow instead. By this point, I understand the Nåsten map almost perfectly at walking speed. Time to go a little faster.
Sunday Mar 11, 2007 #
Orienteering 1:53:00 [3] 8.5 km (13:18 / km)
ahr:139 max:161 shoes: Sarvas
Linne training at Vänge Norr. Most of the guys went out together, but I let them get ahead and ran by myself, so that I could navigate. I did a course that was approximately 8.5km, with 17 controls. I had hoped to run no more than 90 minutes, but unfortunately the last section of the course was especially tough (crappy woods, lots of new brashings) and I went overtime. In fact, the entire training session was physically hard - snow, ice-covered streams, whippy branches everywhere, lots of deadfall. I fell a bunch of times, but on the bright side I only twisted my ankle once (in the very beginning) and didn't have any more such issues afterward. Overall, I was quite pleased with my navigation. A good first day in Sweden!
Saturday Mar 10, 2007 #
Note
(rest day)
Flight to Sweden.
Friday Mar 9, 2007 #
Biking 15:00 [4]
Biking up Headington Road all the way to the big roundabout, for a massage appointment. My quads are pretty trashed, so it took serious effort to get up that hill. The massage was nice though. :)
Running 45:38 [1] 5.0 mi (9:08 / mi)
ahr:135 max:150 shoes: Nike Pegasus
Several loops around University Parks with Henry. Another beautiful day - shorts and t-shirt weather. My legs felt really tired and heavy, but at least they were pretty loose because of the massage.
Strength Training (core) 6:00 [1]
Stretching 8:00 [1]
Extended stretching session today - felt good.
Note
Hilary term has ended, my stuff is packed, and tomorrow I go to Sweden for three weeks of running in the snow with Boris. It's a good time to stop and think about the progress of the last term. I am quite happy with my training in the last eight weeks. I did some things right, I did some things wrong, but the important thing is that I learned from it all. I feel like I know so much more about myself and my orienteering now!
SUMMARY OF EVENTS:
1. Local event at Brill, 4.15 km, 24 controls, 8:48/km
(~3.5 minutes of mistakes)
2. Regional at Ashridge, 9.2 km, 19 controls, 6:54/km
(~10 minutes of mistakes)
3. Regional at Hawley & Hornley, 8.6 km, 20 controls, 7:02/km
(~5:45 minutes of mistakes)
4. Regional at Wendover, 7.9 km, 410 m climb, 16 controls, 8:29/km
(~2:15 in mistakes)
5. VM at Wharncliffe, 6.9 km, 250 m climb, 17 controls, 12:22/km
(~22 minutes of mistakes)
6. VM relay at Loxley Common, 3 km, 130 m climb, 13 controls, 8:40/km
(~1.5 minutes in mistakes, all small)
7.(a) JOK Prologue at Banstead Heath, 4.2km, 16 controls, 7:21/km
(~4 minutes of mistakes)
7.(b) JOK Chase, 3.6 km, 16 controls, 6:33/km
(~1 minute of mistakes)
8. National event at White Downs, 8.6 km, 18 controls, 7:50/km
(~5 minutes of mistakes)
9. Regional at Holmbury Hill, 7.9km, 280 m climb, 24 controls, 9:30/km
(~12:25 minutes of mistakes)
SUMMARY OF EVENTS:
1. Local event at Brill, 4.15 km, 24 controls, 8:48/km
(~3.5 minutes of mistakes)
2. Regional at Ashridge, 9.2 km, 19 controls, 6:54/km
(~10 minutes of mistakes)
3. Regional at Hawley & Hornley, 8.6 km, 20 controls, 7:02/km
(~5:45 minutes of mistakes)
4. Regional at Wendover, 7.9 km, 410 m climb, 16 controls, 8:29/km
(~2:15 in mistakes)
5. VM at Wharncliffe, 6.9 km, 250 m climb, 17 controls, 12:22/km
(~22 minutes of mistakes)
6. VM relay at Loxley Common, 3 km, 130 m climb, 13 controls, 8:40/km
(~1.5 minutes in mistakes, all small)
7.(a) JOK Prologue at Banstead Heath, 4.2km, 16 controls, 7:21/km
(~4 minutes of mistakes)
7.(b) JOK Chase, 3.6 km, 16 controls, 6:33/km
(~1 minute of mistakes)
8. National event at White Downs, 8.6 km, 18 controls, 7:50/km
(~5 minutes of mistakes)
9. Regional at Holmbury Hill, 7.9km, 280 m climb, 24 controls, 9:30/km
(~12:25 minutes of mistakes)
Thursday Mar 8, 2007 #
Biking (Spinning) 45:00 [2]
Last time I raced on the pavement, I had a minor case of shin pain for the next few days. So this time I decided to not run the day after and went to the gym instead. Too bad, because it is another nice, sunny day. I wish I could take one of the spinning bikes and put it outside somewhere...
Strength Training (gym) 25:00 [1]
Legs are tired.
Stability 10:00 [1]
Stretching 6:00 [1]
Note
Looked at the 2005 Billygoat course. Even though I ran it, I look at the map and basically have no recollection of what any of it looked like because I followed Pavlina the entire way. At the start of the race, Boris showed me who Pavlina was and I just stuck right behind her. The only times I looked at my map were at each control, so that I was aware what number we were up to. It was an improvement over the previous year, when I really had no idea what was going on and just blindly followed the pack at the beginning up a steep hill, only to discover at #3 that I hadn't punched the previous two, despite having been in the vicinity. And then last year (2006) I actually navigated by myself, because by that point I no longer wanted to follow others, but I couldn't find one of the controls, despite searching for over twenty minutes. One of these years I'm actually going to run it and finish it on my own. It's such a cool event!
Note
The first training is pretty cool - three different exercises on the same map, with three different scales.
http://danabrozkova.cz/index.php?option=com_conten...
http://danabrozkova.cz/index.php?option=com_conten...
Wednesday Mar 7, 2007 #
Running 9:30 [2] 1.06 mi (8:58 / mi)
shoes: Nike Pegasus
Warming up by jogging back and forth on the track.
Running 24:35 [5] 3.5 mi (7:01 / mi)
ahr:174 max:180 shoes: Nike Pegasus
Teddy Hall Relays! It was an absolutely gorgeous, sunny day. I ran for OUOC's first team - with Ali on first leg, me second, and Ruth anchoring. The course was mostly on pavement, but it included trying to pass slow-moving pedestrians on narrow sidewalks, going over several small bridges, making lots of sharp turns, and running through a big puddle of water (since the towpath was flooded).
I almost missed my start because I wasn't expecting Ali to come back so quickly. I was just warming up slowly on the track when I heard people yell, "Go, Ali!" So then I sprinted to the start, Ali tagged my hand, and I was off. For most of the way, nothing much happened. I passed a few guys early on and a lot of other guys passed me. Only three girls passed me - one from the Oxford XC club, and two from other universities. So I was happy with my finish. I'm not sure whether the distance is in fact 3.5 miles - it's probably a bit longer - and my time is sort of an estimate as well. But the important thing is that I worked hard during the race and I was happy afterward.
I almost missed my start because I wasn't expecting Ali to come back so quickly. I was just warming up slowly on the track when I heard people yell, "Go, Ali!" So then I sprinted to the start, Ali tagged my hand, and I was off. For most of the way, nothing much happened. I passed a few guys early on and a lot of other guys passed me. Only three girls passed me - one from the Oxford XC club, and two from other universities. So I was happy with my finish. I'm not sure whether the distance is in fact 3.5 miles - it's probably a bit longer - and my time is sort of an estimate as well. But the important thing is that I worked hard during the race and I was happy afterward.
Running warm up/down 9:46 [1] 0.98 mi (9:58 / mi)
ahr:131 max:137 shoes: Nike Pegasus
Easy cool-down, with lots of breaks to talk to people.
Note
Looked at a couple middle-distance courses today:
(1) http://folk.ntnu.no/oysteios/kart/2006/host/pages/...
Why are there so many earthbanks facing each other?
(2) http://folk.ntnu.no/oysteios/kart/2006/host/pages/...
The PostFinance sprint is the only WC race I'm actually interested in doing this year. This map looks cool. I wonder if the 2007 qualifier will be anything like it.
(1) http://folk.ntnu.no/oysteios/kart/2006/host/pages/...
Why are there so many earthbanks facing each other?
(2) http://folk.ntnu.no/oysteios/kart/2006/host/pages/...
The PostFinance sprint is the only WC race I'm actually interested in doing this year. This map looks cool. I wonder if the 2007 qualifier will be anything like it.
Tuesday Mar 6, 2007 #
Biking (Spinning) 45:00 [2]
I really need to find something to do while spinning. It's such good cross-training, but *so* boring by myself.
Strength Training (gym) 18:00 [1]
Stretching 6:00 [1]
Strength Training 10:00 [1]
Stability 10:00 [1]
Note
Looked at the maps on Jagge's log. Cool!
Monday Mar 5, 2007 #
Note
(sick)
I woke up yesterday with a slight sore throat and hoped it would just go away, but it was the same this morning, so I think I've got some type of cold. That may be why my HR seemed higher than normal the last couple of days and also why I felt so drained yesterday while running in the woods.
Note
Had a really, really bad day today. So no training. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
Sunday Mar 4, 2007 #
Running 12:27 [3] 1.46 mi (8:32 / mi)
ahr:146 max:160 shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes
Jogging to the start and up and down the trail a few times. It was raining the entire time and my hands were cold. I managed to get my body reasonably warmed up, but not my hands. Perhaps I should have worn gloves.
Orienteering 1:15:20 [4] 7.92 km (9:31 / km) +280m 8:05 / km
ahr:165 max:177 spiked:15/24c shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes
EVENT: LOK regional event at Holmbury Hill
TERRAIN: Mostly white woods with lots of undergrowth (forest heather and bracken), with green thickets dotted along the map, and a few patches of open bracken. One main hilltop at the south of the map, with lots of spurs and reentrants coming down to the north. Terrain doesn't feel "hilly" even though looking at the map it obviously is.
MY RUN: I started off really well. Concentrated well, had a plan for each control, and executed almost flawlessly. But then I made a number of new mistakes (ones I haven't made before and therefore wasn't aware I could make):
(1) Do not start looking unfolding your map when you are approaching a control. First actually find it and punch.
(2) Realize that sometimes control flags *are* put on the same side of a small hill as the trail, even if you think they won't be. Also realize that if the control description says southwest side of hill, it may mean the control is actually halfway down the hill and not necessarily on top. (i.e. control descriptions can be a bit dodgy sometimes.)
(3) Have more confidence in yourself and remember that if you come to the right hilltop and the control is not there, it may be behind the tree you are standing next to. (I believe that the person setting out controls put this one behind the tree on purpose, so that it would be "harder" to find. I think this is also a bit dodgy, but realize that there is nothing technically wrong with it.)
(4) Look carefully at the control circle. By looking closely at #12, I can now see that the ditch is in fact in the white forest and not in the nearby open area. But while I was running, it appeared to be on the edge of the open area and I wound up making a parallel error just based on this misreading!
(5) No matter how sure you are that the control you are punching is yours, check the code. I mispunched today for (I think) the first time ever. The feature was a veg boundary separating two types of white woods. I attacked on a bearing off a nearby trail junction and saw the flag just sitting there in the forest, with nothing nearby, just as I expected. I thought for sure it was mine and punched. But apparently this control was actually on a (very flat) dot knoll and my control was just a bit further. A lot of people noted how close the two controls were, but the wiser ones checked their codes!
RESULTS: I mispunched. So I don't have an official result. But since the control I punched instead was so close to the actual control on my course, my time may as well be official. I would have been 4th, just slightly less than three minutes down on Helen, who won in 1:12:24. By looking at the splits and drawing my routes, I figure I made about 12:25 in mistakes, five big ones (2-2:45 lost) and three smaller ones (15-20" lost). So basically I started off doing really well, but then a few tricky controls killed my momentum and I never quite got it back.
TERRAIN: Mostly white woods with lots of undergrowth (forest heather and bracken), with green thickets dotted along the map, and a few patches of open bracken. One main hilltop at the south of the map, with lots of spurs and reentrants coming down to the north. Terrain doesn't feel "hilly" even though looking at the map it obviously is.
MY RUN: I started off really well. Concentrated well, had a plan for each control, and executed almost flawlessly. But then I made a number of new mistakes (ones I haven't made before and therefore wasn't aware I could make):
(1) Do not start looking unfolding your map when you are approaching a control. First actually find it and punch.
(2) Realize that sometimes control flags *are* put on the same side of a small hill as the trail, even if you think they won't be. Also realize that if the control description says southwest side of hill, it may mean the control is actually halfway down the hill and not necessarily on top. (i.e. control descriptions can be a bit dodgy sometimes.)
(3) Have more confidence in yourself and remember that if you come to the right hilltop and the control is not there, it may be behind the tree you are standing next to. (I believe that the person setting out controls put this one behind the tree on purpose, so that it would be "harder" to find. I think this is also a bit dodgy, but realize that there is nothing technically wrong with it.)
(4) Look carefully at the control circle. By looking closely at #12, I can now see that the ditch is in fact in the white forest and not in the nearby open area. But while I was running, it appeared to be on the edge of the open area and I wound up making a parallel error just based on this misreading!
(5) No matter how sure you are that the control you are punching is yours, check the code. I mispunched today for (I think) the first time ever. The feature was a veg boundary separating two types of white woods. I attacked on a bearing off a nearby trail junction and saw the flag just sitting there in the forest, with nothing nearby, just as I expected. I thought for sure it was mine and punched. But apparently this control was actually on a (very flat) dot knoll and my control was just a bit further. A lot of people noted how close the two controls were, but the wiser ones checked their codes!
RESULTS: I mispunched. So I don't have an official result. But since the control I punched instead was so close to the actual control on my course, my time may as well be official. I would have been 4th, just slightly less than three minutes down on Helen, who won in 1:12:24. By looking at the splits and drawing my routes, I figure I made about 12:25 in mistakes, five big ones (2-2:45 lost) and three smaller ones (15-20" lost). So basically I started off doing really well, but then a few tricky controls killed my momentum and I never quite got it back.
Running 8:00 [2] 1.3 km (6:09 / km)
shoes: Orange Adidas O-shoes
Jogging back to the minibus with Helen. My hands were freezing. By the end of the course, I couldn't hold my compass flat on the map because my hands had gone numb. Should definitely invest in a pair of gloves suitable for running in cold rain.
Saturday Mar 3, 2007 #
Running 47:10 [2] 5.66 mi (8:20 / mi)
ahr:141 shoes: The Purple Ones
Run in Port Meadow by myself, including a few strides at the end. I saw some people canoeing across the meadow!
Strength Training 15:00 [1]
Stability 10:00 [1]
Stretching 5:00 [1]
Friday Mar 2, 2007 #
Note
(rest day)
I got myself some ice cream today (an expensive rarity in Oxford).
Life is good.
Life is good.
Thursday Mar 1, 2007 #
Note
I have no idea where this map is from, but it looks so fun!
http://folk.ntnu.no/oysteios/kart/2005/host/pages/...
http://folk.ntnu.no/oysteios/kart/2005/host/pages/...
C • Map 3
Running 1:00:10 [3] 7.52 mi (8:00 / mi)
ahr:140 shoes: The Purple Ones
OUOC Club Run - me, SGB, and Benjamin. We ran to Port Meadow, did a few loops there, including a stride through the tall grass, then headed back. My left knee felt creaky, but otherwise I felt quite good. We were moving reasonably quickly, but maintaining conversation. I got to vent some of my frustration over BUSA entries. I feel better now. :)
Strength Training 10:00 [1]
Stability 10:00 [1]
Stretching 5:00 [1]