Training Log Archive: Torino

Eve NW class with a big group: walk up to the ruins of Goldswil.
(had Grandma Zürchers funeral in the afternoon) and returned to work afterwards.

Teach two core classes: today a circuit with free weights and bands.
NW for Seniors, along the Aare and back over the fields in Unterseen. Quite far for them.

Climb Bunderspitz from Kandersteg; it was supposed to be a gorgeous day to hike in the mountains, however, the fog moved in and surrounded our peak, it was cold, windy, clammy, and Urs was very angry! So, not much enjoyment, quick up and down, trying to catch some rays of sun on the downhill. Only got sunshine laying out on the porch back in Bern!

Being all day in a Nordic Walking Continuing Edu class in Burgdorf; subject NW for Asthmatics. Spend most of this beautiful day indoors :-(.

Run up to Bleiki; my legs are still very heavy and have no zap in me; quite a dismal week.

Last 7pm class on Thursday because it is getting dark, from October on we will meet at 4.30.
NW to Lombach, take the VitaParcours.

teach 2 yoga classes, feel tired and little motivated.

The sun came out!! Lunch run and doing the Gnome-Sheeptrail. Still feel my legs from Sunday, but also feel some strength. I should do more races for quality training.

Regular NW evening class, it is dark now by 8 pm and we need headlights.

My regular Monday with teaching 2 core classes and the senior Nordic Walking class.
Did also some upper body free weight exercises for biceps, triceps, lat, trap and shoulders. It gives me sore muscles again, the stomach exercises after doing them in a new way and my upper body.

Ran the Stralugano together with my brother (that is, he ran his own pace, he is so much younger!!)
Uff, it was hard to do 3 loops of 3.3 km each, but I managed and passed quite many people on the last loop and could speed up a tiny bit.
5.08 first km
18.10; 19.02, 19.23 loops (37.12 after 2 loops).
Was pleased to run under 60 min, but still shocked how slow I have become! Oh well, I don't run rast nor do quality workouts, so I should not complain!

Went to Lugano to visit Reto (my brother) and my niece. A very fun time. Did a sponsor run together with Urs to get him out and jogging a bit. The cold wind made him wheeze though, and we had to walk twice. But it was a good incentive and nice running in downtown Lugano, along the lake promenade and the park!
16.48 first loop and 17.15 second loop.

Finally kicked myself out the door for a run! I did no feel like moving at all, but I just had to make myself. Go Lombach and create a new loop to Beatenberg Bridge down to 2nd bridge and back. Times are not that bad even though a lot of things hurt: back, hamstrings, mind, head ;-).
18.49 Beatenbergbridge; 8.27 to 2nd bridge, total 27.17 and18.49 back.

Was teaching 3 yoga classes, all of them with fluid motions and good stretching. I am too tired to do many power moves. Finish with Chakra meditations.

Thursday NW class; took Gnometrail over to the dove trail and Goldswil, and over the high railroad bridge down at the Brienzersee back along the Aare. I felt lousy the whole time, somewhat dizzy, ate 2 bars along the way and felt a little better.

I'm definitely in a funk (since prob. last Thursday). I had no energy nor motivation to go running today :-(. I know, I know, I will not get a chance the next few days.

Just feel lousy.

I had 12 people for my NW class! Probably before everybody goes on vacation again.
Go down to ruins Wyssenau and back over fields to Unterseen.

Teach my 2 Monday classes and the senior NW class going to the Lombach.

Got my act together and went to the Nat. O-meet in the hills of Basel despite consistent rains for a day and some inviting greyness in the sky! But, it did not rainanymore!

I should also chart the warm-up and cool-down as the way to the start had almost the same effort as the course itself!!

It was incredibly steep and the woods were soaked and muddy from all the rain. Ran well, found the controls pretty much right on, some required some detailed mapreading. Felt good and was encouraged. On the way to #7 I ran along a little road trying to find the perfect place to dip very steeply into the woods where my control was on a small feature. Very tricky. But I found it right on and continued further down out onto a meadow reading my map as if leaving from #8. Things did not quite match but almost, and I was headed down steeply towards a stable. Then, I was checking for my next code and got confused as I was heading to #9 meaning that I completely forgot to go to #8 which was a short traverse in the steep woods. Oh rats!!!
I checked whether to go back up, but estimated that it would take me at least 10 min, so I decided to keep going :-((. My final time was pretty good, even though I stood for at least 2 minutes debating what I should do.
Oh well, all those stupid things I seem to do lately!

Saw some elderberry bushes full of berries last Friday up near the Bleiki meadow, so I decided to take a bag and some scissors with me. Rode my bike to the Harder Cogtrain, then ran up to Bleiki in the fog and drizzling rain. Cut a bag full of wonderful and ripe elderberrie. Carried the bag, almost 2 kg, back down on the wet and slippery trails.
35.33 up and 21.59 back down with a sore arm and shoulder ;-).

C • And, what are you going to ... 5

Teach 2 yoga classes; good stretches and some power moves. Put emphasis on back motions with for- and backwardmoves.

Have 12 people for Nordic Walking!! Went to the Animal Park and then up to the sheep trail on to Goldswil and along the Aare back. It is getting dark on us again.

Run with Sandra from Oberried over a newly built hanging bridge close to Brienz and back. All uphill to that bridge and all downhill the other side.
This bridge over a deep ravine had been a missing link between trails along the Lake of Brienz. One either had to take the road along the lake or then a trail high up along the mountain. This was an impressive construction to link those two trails.

Run the Gnome-Sheeploop, have heavy legs and take it easy. It always amazes me how easily one can lose time by just going at a leisurely pace. Wonderful weather and day!

Nordic Walking class up to Bleiki and down on the small trail walking into the night.
Beautiful evening and great scenery with the moon shining onto the mountains!

My regular Monday working and teaching the 2 core classes which gave me sore stomach muscles again (!) and then the Senior Nordic Walking class in the Little Rugen.

Event: Swiss Championships (Long)
 

Classic Champs near Baden: what a dreadful experience! Again, my start time is at 09:12 in the morning which means that I have to get out of bed after 6 to be fully awake. I worry all night about this thing and the rain and my bad luck ;-( and sleep badly. I was ready for the bus to bring us to the woods by 08:10 and up at the place to leave our bags by 08:30. It was pouring, the woods were clouded in fog and it was still quite dark! The little group tried to cheer each other up about our misfortune of having to go to the woods under these conditions and how brave we were and so on!
I tried to have as good an attitude as possible and started into driving rain in my face wet to the bone already and with very cold hands. I started well though and realised that these woods were not my cup of tea. The ground was covered with thorns and roots and dead trees, and I just was too slow trying to run through this white area as it was marked on the map. I took long detours on the roads. I caught the gal ahead of me and we stayed together all the time, that is, she followed me every step of the way and talking much. I did make some mistakes in route choices and on #5 plus some more. I just never found a flow nor much pleasure in orienteering in these woods. They were just too "green" for me, the flags were very hidden but fair, and we were "blazing" trails through the green and the fern for the later runners which was very slow going.
Later on, the sun was shining and, it seems as if there were trails leading to the flags and a ton more competitors in the woods that would sort of give away the location of the flags.
Too bad, this will be a competition to put away, and I did it and completed it even though I was very tired after almost 90 min in the woods. My shape is not what it used to be ;-((.

Event: Swiss Championships (Sprint)
 

Sprint Champs in Baden: I had great hopes of doing good as I had a great result last year. But, as it happens in a sprint, a split second of a different thought, and already one is on a wrong corner in town.
I started well, and kept going very concentrated until the leg to @9, and I was at that point only out for 7 minutes and something. I went into an underpass of a busy road, checked my watch and how I was going to attack the next flag, I knew I had to turn right once I got out from the underpass. So I did, and was immediately confused with the tall block of houses on my left but kept on running until the corner and a road crossing which definitely was not supposed to come. A quick glance on my map told me what I had done: in the underpass, I was supposed to take another 90 degree turn under yet another road before emerging and then bear to the right!! It was very clear but also very maddening, and I lost 2 minutes on that leg. Afterwards, I was so upset and could not get back into mapreading but just followed the stream of orienteers to different controls. Somewhat I found the following 2 flags but losing lots of time on each leg. Only at the third last flag had I found my balance and clear thinking again, but it was soon over!
Too bad, in particular after I saw on the graph later, that I had run in second or third place until after the 8th flag (out of 13). I was quite annoyed at myself mostly as I consider the sprint as one of my strong disciplines because of my ability to being able to fully concentrate in a city.

Run the Lombach loop to 2nd bridge and run in pb-time! Ah, finally, things are looking up again. Run today between rain showers as I will rest tomorrow before the 2 Swiss Champs races Sat/Sun.
20.26 to bridge and 18.11 back

Teach my yoga class, feels great. Some power yoga for about 15 minutes. The rest are fluid fitness yoga combos.
Have back pain and pain radiating down my right leg, quads and knees. Very puzzling.

Run up to Bleiki (instead of on Friday, as I will not run before the Ch-Champs weekend); I was disappointed about my slow time going up, but actually, it was not that slow.
42.56 up and 22.54 down. Beautiful day!

Leading my Tuesday NWclass up around Kl.Rugen, to Unspunnen and back up to Heimwehfluh. Beautiful evening and warm.

My regular Monday with teaching two core classes and the senior Nordic Walking class late afternoon. In the Fitball class, we did a lot of new exercies for back and trunk strength, balance, all of them with weights. Also did a series of side trunk exercises and felt them!
In NW, we went up towards Bleiki and then back down steeply and back taking the gnome trail.