Training Log Archive: Samantha

Rest day! I was super wiped after the long run yesterday and then I slept absolutely horribly last night. I don't know what it was, but I felt like I spent the entire night awake. It was a three coffee morning.

But then we went to Boda Borg in Oxelösund. It was awesome, just like Boris promised us it would be. There were 21 challenges of various kinds. We completed 19 of the 21 challenges in about 9 hours (including a half hour lunch break). We probably would have been able to do 20, but one of them broke at the end of our stay. We had tried it numerous times throughout the day and couldn't figure it out. But, as it wasn't physical, I think we could have solved it before we left - we were getting closer!

But there was one we just weren't going to complete. It was a physical challenge and the last room of the set of rooms was beyond our capabilities. The goal was to press three buttons around the room, without going on the floor and while having all your team either hanging from the rings or the ropes, at the same time. You started out on a raised platform. From there you could easily reach two ropes, each hanging from the ceiling and about 3 feet long - long enough to sit and hang on, but not long enough to stand on - and the bottom of the rope was about 4 feet from the floor. From those ropes you could reach another rope, and then you had to go to another, and then get to a row of three rings. We could get on the first ropes, but then we could basically go no further. Maybe we could get one person to a second rope, but then it really ended there. We were not strong enough to hold ourselves on the rope and then to transfer to a new one. And I couldn't even reach the rings from the final rope - too short.

I think of us as pretty fit people, but we just don't have the arm strength. The frustrating thing was, the younger children seemed to have a much easier time in this room than we did - they're just so much more agile and lighter. Now, two days later, my upper back is still very sore from rock climbing and rope hanging. Bringing my arms behind my back is a challenge (hard time putting on pants and taking off jackets). Must practice rope and wall climbing before next time :)

C • that sounds awesome 6

Long morning run with Ross to get more hittaut points. Ran up to Gamla Uppsala and back. Got 19 points. I felt great, except for my quads which were killing me the entire time. Maybe they need a bit of a break. Quite a nice morning, as we left after it had stopped raining. Uppsala is quite beautiful.

C • hittaut points 4

C • Long run 1

Running to the track. Really not feeling well when I got up this morning - stomachache and headache. Luckily, running set everything right.

3 x (2x200, 1x400) Felt pretty short and pretty easy (as far as track workouts go). Even threw in an extra 200 at the end just because I could. Plus, I was hanging around as Ross finished his 10x400. The track was about to get quite crowded as there was a middle school there about to do a track and field day. We got out just in time, but Ross did have to shout at a few people who were standing in the first lane on his last few 400s.

Run home. Nice and easy. It's a perfect day out. 70°, not a cloud in the sky. I wish it was like this everyday. Everything seems better when the weather is this perfect. Such a positive change from last Saturday!!

SnyggMagnus gympa. My quads still hurt from gympa a week ago, so I took it easy on the squats and things. Still super sore quads.

Some easy orienteering in the evening with the club. Didn't realize that there wouldn't be flags, so spent a little time looking around at the first control. Took the road route on both long legs, which I think was much more pleasant than the nasty summer woods. Swedish summer woods are looking a lot like New England summer woods - overgrown, spider webs and lots of mosquitoes and small flies. Met up with Elisa and Rasa after the long leg, and the forked controls, but then Rasa and I couldn't find Elisa at the last stop. We headed out on the contour only, but I got horribly lost and dragged Rasa off as well. Eventually we skipped 1 and 2 and found our way to 3. Then jogging back together on the trail.

Afternoon sprint. I wanted to run hard, but my quads were killing me. Possibly though, I was trying to run too hard as I made two completely stupid mistakes. One was reading a description, seeing that it said outside, but then going inside. And the other I can't even explain, there just wasn't enough oxygen going to my brain. And then I was confused by the bridge on the last control. I need to spend more time looking at sprint courses with bridges - how do you know if it's at the top or bottom?

C • Depends 4

Running along the river to warm up. I wasn't paying attention when I started running and got myself a bit confused on the way back to the arena.

Morning run. Trying to make this a good routine and not sleep forever in the morning. Despite going to bed before 11 it was still hard to get up at 8. Of course, when I got up at 3:15am, the bathroom was fully lit from the sun. Sunrise: 3:34am, Sunset: 10:02pm. It's fantastic. It helps that it's been cloudy so the bedroom doesn't get too bright in the morning.

Picked up some hittaut points, although I just remembered that I haven't logged them yet. Yaks play healthy quails (and) healthy goats.

C • weather and morning runs 2

C • Can't believe that I'll be ... 2

Running out through the woods, following Johan to the swamp. A small group of us - Rasa and I for the girls and only 6 or so guys.

Swamp running! This is how I imagined training to be in Sweden! It was so much fun :) In a this-swamp-is-trying-to-eat-me kind of way. We did 4x30sec, 5x4min, 4x30sec. On the first 40 seconds I feel through the swamp and couldn't get myself out. Rasa had to pull me out, but in the process, pulled my garmin strap apart. So I had to put it back together, which was challenging with the mosquitoes flocking around me. When you're moving, it's fine, but as soon as you stop they start to feast.

Anyway, I fixed that and did another short interval before the long one. 4 minutes of swamp running is hard work. The swamp varied a bit in runnability. There were small section of standing water, but most of it was very wet and squishy moss. There there were sections of peat moss. You could tell these sections because the whole swamp appeared to be moving as you ran on it. This is, of course, because you are just running on the top thick layer of moss that is floating on swamp water. When you fall through this, which does happen, then you get stuck. Your foot doesn't reach bottom, but the moss has suctioned itself around your leg. I then have to grab onto the moss in front of me with both hands and tug myself up onto my stomach with a few hard pulls. You end up a bit behind when that happens :)

But there was lots of falling and some belly slides and swamp throwing at the end. I wouldn't want to do this all the time, but doing it on a warm evening with other people was quite fun :)

C • falling through 3

The last interval and the sprints. Somehow this got to be a new session.

Running back to the clubhouse. Not on trails, but just sort of straight through the woods. Rasa and I were commenting how this would never be the route that the girls would take back. We would be logical and take trails back.

Biked over to Backbana and then warmed up on the trails there. Was going to meet up with Ross, but he got stuck at work.

Working hard and feeling pretty good. I didn't cut the corner by the water pump as I do in the winter as it's all overgrown with nettles. I think that costs me about 5 seconds? Still a good bit slower than the time I ran 3 weeks ago, so will try again next week!

Made myself job along the trail for a cool down. Quite glad I biked there, and so could bike home :)

Janne's backbana in Uppsala - Splits