Training Log Archive: Rosstopher

Training day with the club. Marking yet another day where I showed up late to a training session. A large group of us met in the morning to run a series of trainings on Nåsten. I matched up with Evan and Cat and we accidentally took the short map for our first session. It was a beaver orienteering session, and while I don't fully understand the etymology of the name, the training is rather fun. Each person takes a turn navigating to a control while the others follow along while looking at a blank map. Occasionally, the leader will stop and quiz the followers as to the current location. If the followers have got it wrong, they have collected a "beaver" and then you add these up at the end to see how you did.

Running with Evan and Cat was good, we navigated well, and were probably well matched for speed. Evan definitely tricked me on one of the quizzes, but other than that I think I was in fairly good contact for the course.

The next section was a personalized corridor orienteering course. This was actually really great, because I felt like I was able to finally complete a corridor at a decent pace and not get lost.

Next was a short course with SI, and this was a mixed bag, some of the controls went fine, but I lost a couple of minutes each on 6 and 8... not a great showing. Also I forgot to clear my card before setting out, so my splits needed some manual adjusting to make up for the lack of start punch.

This was enough for me, after a couple of hours in the cold and wet, I was ready to head for lunch. Picked up a couple of controls on the way in (sorry Kate, for picking up #3 too early) and called it the end of the morning training. I'm not sure that anyone did the last corridor back to the clubhouse.

After lunch, the plan was to go back out and do some sprint orienteering intervals around town. I felt pretty good, but eating a giant lunch and then taking a nap instead of actually digesting, was not a good choice.

I quickly started to get nauseous while trying to keep up with the fast guys, and so I stopped early, after 16 controls, and headed back to the clubhouse to rest and to make decorations for this coming weekend's party.

False start to the morning. Sam and I thought that the training was meeting up at the clubhouse, so we jogged over there only to find out that really we needed to be up on the far north edge of Nåsten. Niklas and David also hadn't read the description well enough, so sadly the responsible prepared people in the group had to wait around for another 20 minutes for everyone to arrive.

Time to the clubhouse and then back to grab my bike, then I biked the rest of the way up to Håga.

Simon planned the training and printed maps. A beautiful romp round the whole forest. Starting out at a slowish pace, but then working a bit harder trying to keep up with David and Carl. Then getting dropped in the tricky section and instead getting caught up by Niklas. Another few controls before we met David and Carl again, and then the last hour was just Carl and I alone at a much slower pace.

Great way to start the day. Tired afterward.

A great session of Innebandy with the IGP group. I'm starting to make very some good friends in the group, and they are giving me some good pointers about how to get better. I still flub some of the easy plays, but fewer and fewer.

Volunteered the wash the group pinnies again, as they smell incredibly foul and I am certainly the one sweating the most, so I am at least partially to blame for this.

Like always, arriving to training just on time/on the verge of being late. Warm up running over to flogsta, then some drills before the workout, and then the cool down back to the clubhouse.

Club training tonight was intervals around the 3.3k flogsta loop. For the first loop, I pushed quite hard, trying to keep in contact with the lead pack of Rasmus, Evan, Niklas, and David, 11.35. Then there was a set amount of rest, but I wanted to again join the lead group so I took a little bit less, maybe a minute or 90 seconds, before setting out again. I was pretty tired already, and was not able to stay with the group. Came through the loop in 12.04. Waited on the next lap to join up with the next group instead of the lead pack, so that was Fredrik, Johan, and Erik. Was trailing this group too and getting a bit disheartened by the perception of having tired legs. However, I started to push a bit as we reached the section behind ICA West and I surged into the lead climbing the hill and then pushed hard through the finish for a lap of 11.56. A good proof of the idea that feeling tired is not an excuse to give up.

After the workout, came back and did my elite athlete interview at the clubhouse. Talking about short term and long term goals, and discussing strengths and weaknesses of the club. Feel pretty positive about this coming year.

Snuck away at lunchtime to get a bit of a workout in. Saw on the training bank that people we running backbanan, so I aimed to join them. Was a half hour late by the time I got free from the lab, but figured I could join for the second lap.

Running over and back.

waited a bit to see if the others were coming back from their first loop but then started to get cold, so just jumped right in. Slippery and wearing non-studded shoes, so it was tough.

Came through the half at about 13.30 and considering the conditions and my feeling, I think that was quite good. Finished the loop and then turned back to cheer the others up the last hill. Rasmus and Simon H, were finishing their second lap.

Effective lunch break exercise escape.

After work, biked down to Sunnersta to join Annika for a hard session. She chose a hill session and then we jogged over to her hill course. A steep uphill track that takes about 90 seconds followed by a quick sharp jogging descent to the starting point, also 90 seconds, so a 3 minute cycle on each one. Times 10.

As it was Annika, I was trying very hard to impress her by running hard and fast. This back fired slightly, when she decided that since I had such a lead on each one, that I should start further back on each lap. Legs were burning and my form was slipping, and I felt a little bit nauseous at the top by the end, but all in all I survived, and it felt like a good workout.

Afterward I sat and stretched on Annika's living room floor and was amused to see 9 World Championship medals hanging from a door handle right next to me. That's some impressive hardware, when you see it up close.

C • Like 3

Tisdagbana E. My first tisdagbana of the year. I was running late and hadn't changed yet when the group left for the start, but I took a short cut on the way over and arrived just in time to head out with the rest.

The Spanish guy, Nacho, doesn't have a good headlamp yet, so I said he should run with me. Poor guy :) Actually I did okay, making a few mistakes, but then near the end on my loop doing a fair bit of the navigation.

Still feeling a bit sick, so 10k loop was certainly enough for me, and going with the slower pack was a good choice too.

Afterward dinner in the clubhouse with friends. Yay, Tuesdays,