Training Log Archive: Rosstopher

SM relay - I got a chance to run on a Linné team, as many people dropped out because of feeling a bit sick or a bit injured. Swedish racing culture is quite different in this way, as even a slight sore throat or cough will make a Swedish orienteer quit a race or choose to quarantine themselves so as not to infect their teammates. But I was thrilled, none the less, to get a chance to race.

I ran third leg, on the club's fourth team with Johan Hamelius, and Olof Eriksson racing the first two legs. 114 teams signed up in total and we wanted to finish higher than our bibs (46th) because we thought that was how the team placed last year (in actuality, there were only three teams the year before). We finished 72nd.

Johan had a great lead leg, passing off just in front of our 2nd and 3rd teams, and Olle was going quite strong through the spectator control but lost a lot of time on one leg near the end. He handed off to me, apologizing, at about the same time that Taby and Roslagen went out.

The course was super fun, and I ran pretty well. I had no big mistakes, but near the end of the course I ran right past my number 18, and bobbled number 20 by getting into the wrong broad reentrant. I was running in the woods with the Taby runner for the first half, but my blunders near the end added up and he finished a couple of minutes ahead.

Super fun weekend, great to be part of such a fantastic club.

Middle Distance preparation training for the SM this weekend. Elise set two loops on Lunsen. This is the map that everyone raves about, it's so great and so challenging and so I was quite excited to go out and try my luck. Well, even knowing that it would be hard, and going slowly so as to be able to read all the features, I struggled mightily. Very subtle hills, and things were much too wet for me to discern swamps in the midst of just damp open woods. Not too bad considering the many opportunities to make mistakes that I avoided :) But I was still bouncing around on the map, hitting features that I didn't really mean to go past. I finished the first loop and started the second with a girl from the club, Kajsa, who offered to let me go first because I would be faster than her :) I did finally catch up to her again going to the last control and outsprinted her to the finish.

I guess I am open to loving Lunsen as much as everyone else does, but it's going to take a few more trips (preferably with better weather) and some better navigation before I can convert fully. Pawtuckaway is still my favorite, is what I'm saying :)

C • Lunsen 2

Two loops of the testbanan with a small contingent at a relaxed pace. The weather was quite blah, and I think that contributed to the decreased numbers. The first loop we all ran together as a big group and the second loop the same, except there were fewer people. Chatted a bunch ( in English) as we ran and I think that I finally know where the course goes!

A rest day of sorts. I managed to blow out a tire on my bike (not paying enough attention and inflated the tube to about 80 PSI when it wanted 45 PSI) so I decided to spend some time and change the tube and the tire. So first I bought the necessary replacements, and then I realized that I don't have any of the right tools. Well, a couple of bent spoons later and after several hours had passed I had managed to change my tire and adjust Sam's bike's gear shifting cable, but then it was a bit too late to go out and run. Probably a wise idea as I still have the little cold that I manged to pick up over the weekend.