Training Log Archive: Torino

Evening NW to ruins of Goldswil; incredibly beautiful evening after the rains and snows far down into the valleys. The mountains were dominant (14'000 ft high viewed from only 20 km away on 1500 ft in Interlaken. Gorgeous sunset colors.

Ran at lunch from work and did for the first time in almost 2 years the loop to Lombach, 2nd bridge again!! Felt quite good except some nagging but sharp backpain!


Had normal Monday with NW for seniors and core strengthening class.
Taught the core class twice more today for seniors somewhat milder but I have very sore muscles in stomach, sides and back!!!

Easy ride with Urs along the Lake of Neuchatel to the heights between the two lakes.

Helped to set controls for the Thuner Omeet tomorrow. The woods were soaking wet from the rain, and the ground saturated, it was as if I had emerged from the bathtub with my O-clothes on. Very good intricate map with lots of little creeks which was really hard to keep track on but still had much fun.
I set a few stands and flags, moved the car forward, and we did the same rhythm until all 37 controls were set.

C • setting from the car 2

I'm back running with my old Swiss friend: the RAIN!!! Grrrr
After the wonderful running in Colorado under blue skies and hot temps and dry air, this was back to normalcy ;-(.

Slow beginning but could push the pace more and more. I had not lost the shape I had finally started to feel before my trip to Colorado and the stresses of moving with Christoph and saying good-bye.

It was soso tough to get up this morning, but teaching the yoga did really wake me!

The Thursday evening NW class along the Lombach to Lehn and back.

I arrived in Zurich at 8 am Colorado time after a very fast flight from Denver through London, but in Switzerland it was already 4 pm, and was home in Bern by 6:30. Unpacked and soon it was time to go to sleep! That was so sweet :-) but I was missing an entire day ;-(.

Another sightseeing jog in the Garden of the Gods before taking off on the plane in the evening to go back. It is just always so beautiful in the Garden! Today, I felt much lighter while running and did not feel the altitude at all!

Ran/jogged in Fox Run Park from Peets house. It was great to be out in the sun and in that wonderful Colorado scenery! Took a lot of pictures for my own purpose to indulge in my memories.

C • Colorado 3

Did an exploratory reminiscing loop in Palmer Park in Colorado Springs. Wonderful weather, nice and hot and dry. Stopped many places to take pictures.

Did another Bike-O race and won my class again!! This pleased me especially as another gal was there who did not participate yesterday.
Due to the heavy rains overnight it was very difficult because of the deep puddles, the heavy ground and mud splashed up into my ears and nose!! I was all dirty coming back.
I might have made a few route choice bubbles, but it was enough anyway.

C • mud 1

Did a mountain bike O-race today near Bern and won it!! :-)
I was amazed that the first 5 controls I was still in 4th place but then it seems I kicked some butt and won with almost 10 minutes!
Probably made a little route choice erron to Nr 1. then it was ok. it had a lot of route choice problems for this easy middleland area, and I still am not sure whiche ones were right. Lots of fun, easy and got back muddy from head to toe ;-).

C • Woohoo!!!!! Congratulation... 1

Ran the Bremer Loop again from the parking area near the fountain. Felt like I was moving fast and pushing it after the initial sluggishness.

NW in the rain again (it has been the 4th Thursday in a row with rain and nobody shows except today my two most faithful people!)
We went up to Ruedi's hut at a good pace and steeeply back down!

Ran the Elfenauloop again after many weeks and I seemed to have run a new PB! Great :-). I also saw the 2 lynx cubs for the first time, they are already quite big and very playful.

NW with my Tuesday evening group: along the Aare to the Lake of Thun all the way down to the tip, to the ruins of Wyssenau and back. All flat.

Nordic Walking with my seniors in the Kl. Rugen. Beautiful weather, figures on a Monday!!

Ran up the Harder after work until Bleiki meadows. 44.12 up and 27.57 down. Don't feel very energetic.

Went mountain biking above the lake of Biel. Had trouble finding the mt.bike markers first and ended up biking on a road into Nods, but afterwards it was almost all dirt roads.
it is so hard to find single tracks or unpaved roads in Switzerland!!
We finally found some sunshine but it wasn't really warm yet. Our summer was so short!

WMOC A-Final: this race was on the other side of the same map of the qualifying race, but it was less rocky with more trails and little tracks, but also greener thus still quite difficult.
I started as 18th in my age category which meant that few people were in the woods yet. This meant that I was running pretty much by myself being a forerunner for creating all the elefant tracks the later crowd will be able to use! I nailed most of my controls and felt quite proud even though I realised that I was not particularly fast. I had slept very badly last night, only appr. 3-4 hrs of light, restless sleep and I just had not much energy or dynamic to run hard. On Nr. 2, I could not find that pit even though it was just besides the trail. After some searching returned to the same spot and saw it in a deep pit. (on the previous days when I started later, there were always so many people around that it was hard to miss a control when one was close to it because shure somebody was going in or coming out!). It all went well until Nr. 9 where a similar thing happened in as I first was within a few meters of the flag but it was so invisible and hidden in the moss and nettles that I did not see it. Searched for 8 min here.
In the end I came in 58th place out of 80 in the A-Final and totally 272 women in my age class. However, the Swiss women placed 1,2,3 and 5 plus many more ahead of me. This IS a very strong class to be competing in all year long!!

Another work day. (it has been tougher than I thought combining the races with all the logistics and nervous times waiting for busses, waiting for something, helping out, and driving back to Bern, so I had a very tiring day)

Teaching yoga felt good and stretched out everything and calmed my mind a bit.
Again, the 3rd time in a row, no NW as nobody showed because of rain or thunderstorms :'(. Soon I will be able to fold my job in interlaken.

(Forgot my Garmin down in the car as we were bussed up to the event center)
WMOC Qalifying race 2: near Les Verrières in Les Cernets. These woods are some of the most challenging ones, first in terms of map technicality and then there is no even step: all is covered with deadwood or rocks covered with moss and deep gullies in-between. It is really quite tough for older people! The Americans have some similar areas in NY or NH.
I vowed to slow down and always have a plan and know with every step where I was like with night orienteering. And I did! Slow but steadily with almost no mistake except one route choice mistake, I came through the course and was very happy! I came in 8th and with the combined time I did make the A-final as 16th in my heat.

WMOC, 1st qualifying race: the area was fairly flat and diffuse with lots of open areas which was hard to figure out what was what. Started out ok until after #8 to 9 when I must have drifted off towards the left and made a parallel error as everything looked similar with a hole full of pits and flags in it. When I saw my #3, I was shocked and went off to my flag. Lost at least 10 min! Later, I mistook a sloping down area with my control for a flat hill and went uphill and lost another 5 min. I was so discouraged by then. I was truly amazed when I still was 29th in my heat of 67 women and the real time of 55.59 was not that bad after all.

Back to work for a day! NW with seniors and it started pouring! Rats :-(.

Core fitness class with upper body strength, I am trying to pamper my back so it does not get any worse.

A-sprint final in Neuchatel! I gave a huge effort, prob. made a route choice error to No 2, but other than that quite clean. Lots of stairs to climb, I was huffing and puffing. The end in the historic section of the town was easier than I expected.
When I read-in my e-punch it showed a control missing! No way!!!
It turns out that I have an "older" punch and I didn't wait long enough for it to register because exactly at that control there was a crowd, and my punch prob. still registered on the previous runner when it lit up. So annoying!!
I would have come in 27th which was another goal, to finish in the top 10% of my class. Oh well.
Nothing else to do than buying one of the newer superfast punches now!

Btw: today was Swiss National Day with fireworks and thunderstorms all around!!