Training Log Archive: AliC

WRE Middle Distance @ Högbo Bruk
no results up yet, but I think 14/16

Just to keep mixing things up, today we started two at a time, with women and men alternating every other minute. I didn't get much of a chance to warm up, because had to get the transponders, and they didn't actually have mine....

Anyways, off to a start and go! Or not quite, because my hands were a bit numb and I didn't get the map in my map board yet quite before start time (they give you 30s before your start to do this). Only a few extra seconds there though, and then off!

First of two maps went pretty well, no big mistakes, maybe a slightly wrong route choice or two, but felt pretty good and was working harder than yesterday's middle. I came through the stadium, and think I was first one through, because the announcer actually talked about me (and in English, which was nice of him!). I heard him announcing Alex too as I left the stadium, so knew she had already caught me up some.

Then, my big mistake. The first control on the second map was a similar place as the first on the first map, so I made the same global route choice leaving the stadium. But right at the control, this turned out to be a horrible choice, because you had to go up a steep 4 contour hill on a wee little trail, then straight back down it's backside. Major grrrrr! Almost when other way at the choice point, should have just taken a few more seconds to check...

Also a small mistake to the second on second map, because there was a trail right under the line to 2 that couldn't be seen on the map and threw me off while executing my plan. Other than that, think it finished up ok, as I got onto the road to the final control saw Alex infront of me, which meant she had 2+ plus, so I just sprinted my guts out to close that gap as much as possible, think I was just about heading down the finish shoot when she crossed the line.

Cool down with Alex on big trails.

Little trail follow-the-leader with Alex and Greg.

Still snowing up a storm, and cold, esp. after hanging out in the arena for a bit, but we motivated to go back out, and was perfectly nice after getting going.

We did a training where one person led, winding their tricky way around one of the marsh mazes, and the others tried to 1) keep up skiing on the wee narrow trails 2) keep in contact with the map. I found it a bit hard to keep up with the others just skiing and then bonus hard trying to also stay in contact with the map. Ok, so something to work on for sure! Narrow-trail skiing definitely needs to improve, and will with more double pole work. Also staying on top of the map while narrow-trail skiing also somehow has to be improved. Reading map while double poling is a skill to try to master for this I think. I find it much easier to tread the map while skating than while dping.

Towards the end, when I was leading lost contact, and we all relocated wrong- redid it and things made lots more sense, I missed a junction, probably while attempting to map read. Think was just getting darn tired too!

C • Narrow-trail skiing 9

The sore throat from this morning is now definitely turning into a cold. Major bummer! Want to get lots out of the training the next few days, but also don't want to end up prolonging the cold forever. Will try not to push it too hard!

C • sick 2

Middle Distance at Högbo Bruk, mass start
18.3% back, 14/18

Mass start. Lots of ladies heading out on a small ski track at the same time. The whole map thing and knowing its gaffled totally changes this- want to ski fast, but also in the right way. Luckily stayed enough with it to get to my first control, then things were less crowded, there were 3 maps, and I'm guessing a third went out on each, or maybe first two were gaffled, and every one had the same last loop?

Anyways, turns out, I had the same maps as Alex, and sort of kept catching, then kept making a mistake and recatching her, throughout the race. She was certainly making some mistakes/not perfect route choices too, but of course, I really only noticed mine!

We still don't have our maps back, but my first mistake was thinking I was on the first little trail when I was on the second little trail so I went left instead of right at a T junction. Then later on, was right behind Alex, in probably not perfect contact, when what I felt was the right way, ended up on a big trail, and things didn't add up. Had to think to relocate, whoopsie! Luckily, my gut instinct took me the right direction on the big trails and I didn't lose too many oodles of time.

There was much more skiing, navigating, and mostly went smoothly. I came into the the 2nd map exchange just in front of Alex, then we skied more or less together to the next two controls (only 4 on last map, longest legs of the day). She asked to pass on a long wide ski trail, which surprised me, but I let her, so then I just drafted behind, reading my map ahead. We were still pretty much together with just one more leg to the GO control, but I punched that control, and somehow wound the end of my pole into the line that hangs the controls- trapped!!! Both the line down to the EMIT brick and the line itself were around it, and had to flip the EMIT brick and pick at it a few times, and totally lost Alex.... ah well, maybe a sprint finish another time! =)

C • Lots of snow... 9

Warm up and warm down. Someone nicked my hat from the side of the trail where I left it, boo!

WRE Sprint @ Högbo Bruk
22.9% back, 13(tied with Alex!)/17

So super neat Alex and I actually tied for 13th, but she was totally catching me (she started right 30s behind due to our adjacent placing this morning), until she and another gal collided on the in/out to a control.

Things went ok, a bit sloppy at times. Could have been quicker off of the start, but I like knowing where I'm going and such to start off, and still find ski-o starts a bit disconcerting without the compass to tell me I'm definitely right and the map having to get into the holder and all.

No real lost of contact or major problems, one minor issue on the beginning of route to GO control, didn't find the quickest way out of the field to the big trail. And then I took a route into the control that avoided a trail I knew people would be coming up on. Not sure if that was worth it or not, my way was a bit longer, with an uphill on a narrow.

C • compass 6

Warm up and cool down for sprint!

Transfered ourselves up to Högbo from Stockholm on snowy roads, found an empty ski stadium, picked up Nick at the bus station and then got out for a ski by midafternoon, which meant the sun was already setting by the end of it... Nice ski around with Alex, still just happy to be on skis!

Night Sprint Relay Leg #1

This relay was so much fun! Skiing around, in the dark, finding your way on these fun narrow little woods trails and bam! all of the sudden there's the happy glowing control right there on the trail. Awesome!

Worst bit was the start. I wasn't ready super early, and didn't really have anything sussed out. So Alex tagged me off, and I started skiing. But I needed a map. Ok, look for map boards. Nope. Panic! Keep skiing, and I see little poles with cylindrical white things on them with numbers, found! And then put it in my map holder, but had major issues figuring out which way was which. So I just started skiing the way I saw lots of other people start, eventually figured it out when I hit one of the only hills and realized I was on a really huge trail. Trying to envision the race arena before starting probably would have helped a bit.

Things went relatively well after that, not super speedy, but never lost contact, a few maybe not-ideal route choices, but hard to say because they took our maps right after finishing both legs, so can't fully evaluate them...

Night Sprint Relay Leg #2

Also a blast! And knew where I was to start, which was nice. Zipping and zagging through the woods thereafter. Although I can probably get better on skiing on those little narrow trails for the future. And work out some better way to connect EMIT brick to control. But yeah, enjoyed this in the night a lot more than I thought I would have, thanks Peter for the good light!

C • Nice! 1

Woo, in Sweden! Night training around a lighted loop in Stockholm. Lovely to be back on skis, fantastic!! A bit of adjustment, they are longer than rollerskis for sure, but body seems to remember the ski motion! Downhills are so much more pleasant on real skis!

And off!! Woke up at 5am in an attempt to progress to euro-time, then waxed 4 pairs of skis, but only decided to bring 2 in the end because of what the weather looks like. Hope it doesn't all of the sudden start pouring rain or turn icy, because I have left those skis at home...

Now an overnight flight to Amsterdam, then Sweden! Can't believe I'll be finally on snow tomorrow!

C • WAHOOOOOOO!!!! 7

Emily Dickinson loop under a dusting of snow- very pretty!
Knee only hurt a bit afterwards, much less than it has previously, which is good, and hamstring didn't trouble me at all, which is nice. Running is finally feeling normal again, just in time for ski season =)

Drills x 2 at the track, windy