Training Log Archive: Torino

Not a very good bike ride and cut it a little short. Once, I missed a turn and landed in a dead-end, later I slipped off the pedal and barely saved myself from falling on an uphill, then I did not pay attention and slipped in some mud and got caught in a fence: I must have been day-dreaming a lot today ;-). No focus, but that's ok once in a while.
I'm still sleeping a lot and much and seem to have a long-time deficit in (mental) equanimity and was so stressed that I could no longer sleep. Luckily, I seem over the hill now.

A first long run. Felt sluggish first then better. Caught 2 dry hours before pouring rain. The Aare has flooded some of the places I ran along. Luckily it should stop raining now.

C • Your run 5

First run back home. Legs are still tired. In the pm it will start raining again, and the Aare is already very high. They predict it will rain about as much in the next 48 hours as usually in the whole month of July! Crazy. We could easily shuffle some over to India.

Last day of the Swiss O-6-Day up in Sunegga. Grey, drizzly, wet day with having to start in the middle of the clouds/fog, visibility a nose length. It was better in the woods.
The O-course was basically on a very steep slope: follow a dirt road, head up off the road to the control, follow the contours onto the next and another one; down to the road again, follow a bit then head down steeply into the woods to the next control, contour to the following and get out onto the road again, etc. The flags in the woods were challenging, but I had no problems as I seemed to always find the right deer trails leading me into the control.
Later, I noticed that I seemed to have run always between 16th and 19th place until shortly before the end, when I had to descend a really very steep slope and I must have lost focus and started daydreaming. I did not know exactly where I was for a while but kept on my "path" and actually hit the control anyway. But I was slow and lost 2-4 min on that leg. The same to the next (second last one), took a trail the long way around and definitely fell back to over 30th place. Somehow, I had lost my motivation to push and finished as 34th.
Looking at the results, I felt annoyed that I had given it away, but also it actually did not matter much.
Oh well, could go home in the evening, what a relief after 2 weeks of "work" in Zermatt. I don't think I'll ever volunteer for that kind of job again. I felt way too stressed about it.

Already on the way up, "my" gondola was left hanging still for 15 minutes (I absolutely despise that, I am so scared). On the way down from Trockener Steg there was big chaos as one section of our gondola ride was not working. So it was either to stand in a very long line (waiting time 1:40hr) for an old big cablecar ride down) or take the gondola to Schwarzsee and then hike down steeply to Fury which we did.

Long, steep downhill hike. Quite sore and tired afterwards.

Day 5 on Trockener Steg just below the Klein-Matterhorn. Very special and unique area for everybody. Lots of the glacier had melted since I last ran here 8 years ago. And today, because of the hard winter, lots of snow was still covering the creeks and marshes, sometimes one had to guess that one was crossing a creek.
Did well on the first 4 controls, had fun. Then to #5 I crossed another place that looked greyish covered with gravel. Someone shouted something but I could not understand and already I was stuck up to my knees in the wet silt/mud whatever. As I was stuck without being able to move at all, I also fell to my left and sank my arm up to my armpit into nothingness. (such as sinking into a marsh). Eventually, the man who had shouted, came to my aid first making sure himself, he would not sink. It took me awhile to get my feet to move a little in the muck until he finally could slowly pull me out. Whew, I was trembling a bit, but started running again when I realised my map was also covered and my left side was caked with a thick layer of this stuff. I found a snowfield and tried to get some of it off, but then my hand/arm turned numb. Eventually, I had some of my compass cleared that I could make out the needle. It was slow to the next control but then I made a mistake mostly because I could not navigate accurately enough. The same for the following control. Then I decided to mapread from feature to feature which was fairly slow. Towards the end, the mud had hardened enough that I could scrape of some of it and use the compass again.

Happy that I finished and laughing, I must have been a sight. But later disappointed that I had lost crucial 4-5 min that would have brought me further ahead, and I actually lost 2 places overall. Oh well, it is a good story to tell.

C • Glad you are ok 1

Day 4 of the 6-day. Up at the Grüensee. It was advertised as being a wonderful runnable, grassy and gentle area. The writer probably had never run there. It was rocky, on a slope most of the time with lots of shrubs and rhododendron bushes where one could not see the placement of the feet. Quite tricky and slow area. Did fine, found my flags, navigated the way I should do it except for # 5 where I was a little too high. Quite pleased with time and placement (15/99).
I am glad I rested for 2 days.

C • Bravissima, Beatrice! 2

Easy hike from Gornergrat on the ridge East and back then down to the trail that comes from the Monte Rosa hut. Back along the slope to the Riffelalp. Finally, we could enjoy some sunshine and wonderful scenery onto the highest mountains in Switzerland (Monte Rosa group with Dufourspitze, and the Dom).

We woke up to sunshine which surprised all of us. By the time I went up with the gondola, clouds had settled back in.
Started ok, hoped that the fog would lift a bit which it did. Found the first 4 controls well despite the very intricate detail with knolls, pits, ridges and cliffs. On the way to the fifth where I crossed a big creek i drifted way too far to the left and made a 10-extra loop (mistake) before I finally figured out what I had done. The rest was ok, but I did not feel like I had much of energy to push or even try.
The weather held which means that it did not rain (yet).

Hiking down, later back up from the top of the gondola to the start/finish area of today's leg. Very steep.

First day of the Swiss O-Week (6 days), a sprint in the town of Zermatt. The older people had start 2 and the challenges were not as tricky as for some other classes. Made 2 mistakes anyway, but I couldn't give a full effort as still felt very, very tired from this week of preparations and a very long Saturday (13+ working hours).
The sprint did me well, it is always good to run.
But.... after a week of gorgeous hot and sunny mountain weather, it rained today. For a city sprint it was ok though.

C • Good result 1

Event: Swiss O week 2014
 

Another run doing the same loop. Could dodge the rain and towards the end, the sun came out! Wow, did not know anymore how that is ;-). The Aare is still at flooding stage, but "my" little trail was only partially submerged anymore.
Not my fastest time, but also I did not care much, just wanted to go on a run.

Note 2hrs later: they closed the road below us and blowing up those orange tubes along the Aare to prevent that it spills over. We're too high up to be affected but we can watch. The power/force of water is incredible.

Easy walk over to the youth hostel to show Charlie the way to our place in 2 weeks. Now, we were watching the river with its high waters and the fire people monitoring, cranes fishing big trees out of the water a little further down, etc. They had blown up huge orange hoses with water alongside the shore to protect the houses.

How can that be?? The route does not show at all where we walked! We went along the Aare, over the bridge and the youth hostel is a little north of where the Garmin stopped.

Had gone home to Bern with Urs and Matti early. There was no point in staying, the weather is just dismal.
While Matti was sleeping (and Urs watching) went on a run. The Aare had flooded some of "my" trail along the shores. Started on a break from the rain, but after 40 min, it started pouring again and was drenched thoroughly.
It is supposed to continue to rain.
They say that it has been warmer last Christmas Day than now!! Awful.

Went for another run right from the place we stayed, this time not wanting to stay in any woods as those trails are bad and muddy. Nice loop, towards the end, the rain started and I got home completely drenched!
The low pressure system "Michaela" is here, wet and cold for almost the next following week :''''-(.

Went up to the High Jura on the French side to be with Sandra and her Anco-juniors for a training camp and, of course, baby-sitting Matti. Over lunch could go on a run by myself. Boy, was the forest wet and lots of trails under water and tons of mud everywhere. Tried to make a loop but eventually when "my" trail just ended I stood lost in the middle of the woods. Kept going South, then when no trail came (could not figure out on the O-map where I was!!) and headed uphill as I knew the woods would be finished. That worked and I found a big trail. Went around the wooded part back to the assembly place.
Today, the sun is still out even though it was supposed to start raining..... for a week!

The long run from my house. Trying to take it easy and not look at times or anything. Thoughts were turning in my head, and I tried to take in the scenery on this beautiful, sunny afternoon with lots of people swimming down the Aare (way too cold for me yet).
This was another not so good day for me (too many of those lately); was very annoyed and down because of an issue and took it too much to heart. Should not do that.
The run made me come to my senses a bit.

Shortish run while Urs was walking with Matti just before we were going to drive him back to Neuchatel. Rained all day, puhh, but the sun came out around 5:30 pm finally!