Training Log Archive: Torino

Didn't need much recovery time after the disastrous performance yesterday. Went out on a rainy Sunday afternoon to take pix of Urs hanging posters of his party for the upcoming election in our little town (Milvignes).
Felt quite good mostly running on pavement.

Another nightmare of an orienteering "race". It was technically very difficult and one had to know with each step where you were. I thought I did.........
Found #1 with no problems, everything made sense; then followed slightly NW in a gully, passed a control and climbed onto a trail. Followed the trail with cliffs on the side until I found an easier spot to head north to my flag. It looked so easy on the map but in the terrain which was green on the map and full of rocks, gullies, holes, pits, cliffs and more rocks. I must have passed my flag at least 1-2 times but didn't see it. I looked for a little terrace or flater place in that slope but could not make one out. Found a flag (42) at the end of a cliff, and followed back down a bit to my control but found none. Searched and searched, went back to the trail, everything fit and went back into the rock/cliff green jungle on a compass bearing (it shouldn't have been far), but no luck. Checked out more until realised I was getting close to the top of a significant rock face down to the lake (!). Checked on my compass and saw with horror that I had gone north instead of south in my search. Totally lost and somewhat scared as I was all alone in there where nothing made sense anymore. (I started almost last.) Calmed down and told myself to go now strictly south and I MUST hit a trail. It took awhile climbing down cliffs, skirting rocks and pits until I saw a clearing and a trail. Whew, found myself exactly where I wanted to come out! So why couldn't I find the control?? Had enough as already 40 min had passed and jogged down, took in a control along the way and as it was a lot more open with good visibility, could make out all the cliff faces and rock towers. But I had lost interest to find more flags and eventually headed down to the finish. Quite depressed and disillusioned.
It turns out that many more had searched for that same flag and some also gave up. Monika (my ride to the meet) also searched for 10 min and didn't know where else to look and gave up and while going down to the trail she stumbled onto the flag which seemed not at all in a smallish place, but still on a slope.
We were very lucky with the weather as they predicted very cold, strong winds and steady rain/snow. (It had snowed record high snow depth in the Alps). So I was prepared with more clothes on, but it turned out to be all dry by the afternoon and the strong winds didn't bother me in the woods. So happy about it. I put a thick foam on my right knee to protect it from hitting rocks and roots and it helped a lot as it couldn't be helped in that terrain.

A jog on my loop (shortened) to check on my knee. The wounds are pretty much healed, the knee still looks bruised. Only on right outer side down towards tibia there's a slight pain on the inside. Not the meniscus but maybe a bursae sac that is protesting. But I have pretty much full mobility except the places the new skin is stretching.

Rode on my other, smaller mt.bike (the one I do touring with and has saddlebags on but is very, very light) to Neuchâtel to give my knee an easy workout but mostly doing mobility. It went really well. Had a meeting, then rode back home.