Training Log Archive: Torino

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.