Training Log Archive: Kat

Run to the clubhouse and then to the start.

Did the first five controls from the NC Sport Cup. Nåsten has turned into one big muddy marsh.

Running back to the clubhouse, mostly on small trails. Legs so tired!!!!

1. I feel healthy again, albeit very tired.
2. I have races every weekend from now on, so my training is going to be rather cyclic: race, then do easy stuff to recover, then race again. So during the next month I will not be building strength or speed, but instead will be getting lots of good navigation practice. My navigation in Sweden is not good enough yet to sacrifice races in favour of proper physical training.
3. I experimented with putting arch supports into my O-shoes today. Positives: my feet felt a lot more comfortable - my arches and heels did not hurt at all. Negatives: my ankles felt significantly more vulnerable because my feet were higher up in the shoes and also because they were in the neutral position instead of slightly pronated, as they usually are. Perhaps the combination of arch supports and some type of ankle support is ideal? This is what quite a few of the elite Swedish orienteers seem to do.
4. Yesterday, I experimented with Quickroute for the first time, using my race on Sigtuna. Check out my Garmin route here.

C • cool 1

Tiomila training race on Sigtuna. My orienteering was, overall, surprisingly good given my long absence from Swedish forests. And although my legs are still tired from last weekend, they have recovered enough that I was able to move at a good pace most of the time. Cool!

Ways I know I've been away from Swedish orienteering too long:
1. My heels and ankles hurt constantly and I was very unsteady on my feet. (Running over rocky terrain takes a bit of getting used to.)
2. I was lost to the first control despite having a good plan. (Interpreting vague contours also takes some getting used to.)
3. I made a parallel error near #8 and despite walking and trying my best to fix it once I'd realized my mistake, it was another several minutes before I found the control. (Being able to relate the simple-looking map to the rocky and bumpy-looking terrain is tough, and becomes even harder when you have lost some of your confidence.)

I am confirmed for Pikes Peak Ascent this summer! 13.32 miles, 7,750 feet up from start to finish (~14,050 feet). It's going to be awesome.

C • cool 11

Some biking during the day to lunch and then to the clubhouse and home. I wouldn't normally put this down as training, but since my legs are still trashed from last Sunday, this felt like just the right amount of effort.

Some easy jogging before circuits, to see how my legs feel. Muscles are still very sore and shins, knees, hips feel stiff. Good to be out, though.

Linne circuits. I substituted the leg exercises with core and pushups. Fun to see everyone again!

The outsides of my quads still hurt, but walking is completely fine now. so I'll try doing some easy training tomorrow. My throat hurts again, so I think it is very likely that I am now sick with another cold, having not completely recovered yet from the previous one. I feel like it's been a long while (three weeks) since I've felt completely healthy, but I remain optimistic for the future. I have not missed out on anything thus far due to injury/illness and hopefully if I am careful, I will be training regularly again soon.

Still hurts to walk - my poor quads! This is further reinforcement of my good intentions to avoid steep downhill races. They just aren't worth the pain or length of recovery time. I am very keen on doing long distance races in the future, but I'll have to be careful to choose ones that are mostly uphill and/or flat!

But, fortunately this is not the worst time to be recovering. I've got plenty of work to keep me busy and after a week of being ill and a long day of traveling yesterday (because my flight was delayed by five hours), I need the rest.

Flight to Sweden today!