trail run warm up/down 14:00 [3] 2.2 km (6:22 / km) +30m5:57 / km shoes: Icebugs Spirit 2016
12 PM
◪ race (Long -Red Course) 1:49:39**** 14.5 km (7:34 / km) +240m6:59 / km spiked:10/13c shoes: Icebugs Spirit 2016
I started very well, first 6 controls felt fast and with good flow, map reading. Caught and passed Nastya, who started 3 min before me. Long leg to 7 planned well, and started well. Than, ~ 500 meters from control 7, I pushed myself into a somewhat parallel situation to the right and nothing worked well for next 15 min, had tough time interpreting shapes of marshes I saw. I was standing a lot, got even cold. Finally relocated, and when I got to 7, Nastya was leaving ~ 100 m in front of me. Pushed myself right on next leg and yet another 3 min running around in circles. OK, gathered myself, and picked good line on a long leg to 9, executed well. Passed Nastya there one more time. Speed is starting to drop, level of energy is somewhat low. GU. Picked left rout to 10, executed more or less clean with one minor stop, but wobbling a lot, hence weak split time. Clean to the finish but even with another GU at road crossing, struggling to keep decent pace, short stride.
After finish, realized I had food poisoning or stomach flu, quite miserable all the way to airport and on the flight back home, it did not help to get home at 1:30 AM.
Other than that, I would come to that map to race any day, such a great moraine terrain, good runnability.
trail run warm up/down 6:00 [2] 1.0 km (6:00 / km) +20m5:27 / km slept:8.0 shoes: Icebugs Spirit 2016
1 PM
◪ (Middle - Red Course) 56:21 [4] **** 6.4 km (8:48 / km) +240m7:25 / km spiked:10/16c shoes: Icebugs Spirit 2016
Rough race for me from the start - got myself into parallel situation, going to 1, took too long to relocate and understand, found 2 before 1, than missed 2 by a minute, and 2 minutes on 4 in the circle. Map printing and drafting is substandard but it did not effect elite at all. Area of control #4 was overloaded with black features which blended out badly for me to comprehend using magnifying glass while standing still. A little better after that, terrain opened up, but I had tough time going down rocky downhills - walking for the most part very tenderly. Hope to do better tomorrow, can not have too many bad races in a streak.