Training Log Archive: W

Now for the big one, my first Jukola. I was put on anchor, I'm not entirely clear on the reasoning behind that one, but, hey, we're the third team, so who cares, really.

I was first woken at 3AM (45 minutes before my planned wake up time), by the news that our first team had already dropped out, our second leg runner having broken his ankle.

So, now our second team was the uber-important team, which was also interesting because we, the third team, were very close to them. This only compounded my anxiety, and was further worsened when our 6th runner came in only about 10 seconds before their 6th runner, AND the 6th runner from Suunta Jyvaskyla. Add on the statement that we could be the "best 3rd team at Jukola" and I was of course very grateful to have a whole bunch more outcome based goals to shred away at my focus and self-confidence.

Thus, although I didn't go out crazy hard, I blew number one. 3 minutes lost. Gone was our second team, gone was Suunta Jyvaskyla. My mind reeling, I really chased number 2, and although it wasn't a mistake, it was by no means smooth, and on number 3 I lucked out when I hit a path and realized I was running on the map looking at a different leg. It was very fortunate that where I accidentally ended up was actually very, very close to where I needed to go anyway, so much so that I kept my headed up and saw the feature. Minor miracle there.

4 was a battle of focus where I just could not get my head back in the game, and as I got closer to the control, I continually mis-read things, but was fortunate enough to trust my instincts of where I thought I was and bounced back right on top the control. Time lost, but not as hideously as I thought I might.

I then went straight from 5 to 7 since I went up two re-entrants to far to the right, which I think was a result of problematic compass.

So, my route to 8 I decided to play it probably unnecessarily safe, and go well around on the trail that brought my pretty close to the control and an easy bearing in. I hoped that would give my brain a short rest and a confidence boost.

However, when I got to the path junction and was about to head into the wood again, I came up our second team's anchor, who was walking in the opposite direction clutching his shoulder.

"I put my shoulder out", he said. I considered telling him I knew how to pop it back in since I've seen it on TV many times, but instead I stopped to make sure he was okay and then continued on. More than anything I felt now focused on making sure I didn't hurt myself.

Despite that, the next few controls went pretty good, considering the tricky area, though I think I was right on top of 15, didn't see it, and wandered around. I even saw Thierry's route on the GPS coverage to this control and I don't know why I didn't do what he did. It would have made so much sense. I guess I was really chasing time at that point.

Fortunately, after 15 I feel like I finally got a bit of focus, though it could have also been the very easy legs coming up. I hit the rest almost dead on except for an error at 25 which I'm really not certain I would have done differently. It was a quite vague area. But, being able to run over that bare rock pretty fast and nailing where you want to go is super fun. I was finally having a bit of fun.

As I ran into the finish I was convinced I'd lost places, but it turns out I came back in in exactly the same place as I started. I'm sure I lost some places, but it would seem I gained some places too. I figured, okay, well, we finished with a higher number than our bib, so that's a positive result. An improvement. Since I had no idea where we were expected to place, I actually thought our placing was pretty good. Yet, all the team wanted to talk about is how good our results "could have been" if our good teams would have finished. I also lost us "top 3rd" team status.

Initially I wasn't crazy unhappy with this race, but between looking closer at the results and the post-race chatter, (no one was remarkably enthusiastic on analyzing my race with me)I felt more and more despondent about my race. Results because I lost so much time, and even removing the mistake to number one would have made me jump 30 or so places in the leg standings. There were so many guys within 5 minutes.

But, the worst feeling came a day later when e-mails were sent about how the local media in Keski-Suomi referred to Suunta Jyvaskyla as the top club in the region. This of course could not stand and it seemed important that someone inform the local media of the situation about how our real teams would totally have beat them if they weren't all injured. Although I know its not their intent, all this discussion did is make me feel even worse that I personally made that happen. If I had performed better, we still would have been the best around and everyone would have been satisfied. Unfortunately, we had this lousy North American as our anchor and he can't navigate his way out of a paper bag. Obviously, it sunk me in an unhappy spiral that's tough to get out of, yet tomorrow I have to let all that go and get right back to it.

Or, at least, once I feel like my sleep schedule is back to normal.

Another session on a further West part of the same map as yesterday. There was a particularly long leg along the top of the hill, which was scary, but it wasn't until after that I really realized how much I needed to simplify these areas and worry slightly less about every little thing. In this particular case, there was a pretty obvious hill that, if I was on the correct line, I would see and have no problem. I could just dance from kallio to kallio and keep up a nice pace.

Unfortunately I also had some significant problems, enough so that after a couple controls everything negative about myself seemed to flood in and I had to sit down and take a "moment". The rest of the run was slow and unfocused but I hope that it served to provide a little bit more improvement for tomorrow's race.

Speaking of which, I was getting more and more nervous as the day went on. Its largely because I'm running anchor, never been to Jukola, and I always fear with relays that I'll let the team down. I can tolerate individual races because in the end the only person I feel will be mad at me is me, but in this case I have six other guys who are equally relying on me to have collective success. Fortunately, this problem is also mitigated by the rather clear implication by some members of the club that third team is incredibly, incredibly not important.

After a long day of that now insufferably boring 4 hour drive to Salo, I hurried out to get on the map near our accommodation to try and get myself accustomed to the Jukola terrain. It ain't easy. The edge of hills are the trickiest with their many cliffs and whatnot. Its slow-moving, hard to read the contours, or keep track of which rock/cliff you're on. The tops of the hills are a bit better. The kallio (open rock) is super fast, but tricky if you lose track of where you are, but I'm learning to not worry too much exactly where I am on that stuff, as long as I know where I'm going. The valleys between the hills actually seem the trickiest, since they're slower and thicker and it can prove difficult to go through them and out the other side and be certain you're still on your bearing or climbing the right hill/re-entrant. On a grand scale, these parts are going to be the toughest, since they could set me on an extremely wrong path, whereas the kallio and sides of hills are mini-tough, since they'll have me screwing around in the control circle.

Not a massive confidence booster, was this training, but any bit that gets me a little more acclimated to this terrain is good.

AV-training at some map whose name I can't remember. Its really my first real O+ training since I got back. The first interval was pretty bad, as there was one leg that was super duper flat and wildly difficult by my standard. Sort of that classic half Kallio, half marsh, half white forest (yes, that's 3/2), and pretty much entirely flat. Those are real tough for me, which means I'd like to do them more often. The ones with a bit more hills were better, and I kept the silly mistakes to a minimum, although my focus wasn't their and I had trouble getting a feel of how far I had travelled. I felt more confident after FinnSpring and I think the Jukola terrain is going to be mildly similar to that, rather than this. Hopeful, I am. And tosi pelottaa.

Still kind of run like a heffalump through these sort of forests, too, but, I suppose being in Finland I should say I'm running like a Moomin. Looking at their body shape I would guess they suck at orienteering.

C • they suck at orienteering 1

A few early and long days have meant that I can't really get the time to go out for much of running. Eventually my thesis interviews will end and I won't have to get up at ungodly hours to talk to people back in Canada. Its making me woe-fully tired.

On the other hand, I'm partly bringing it on myself by staying up until 1:30AM to watch the women's world cup. Will I be getting up at 4AM on Friday to watch again? Helllz yeah. I never get to see any Canadian team win at soccer. Like, ever.

C • to see any Canadian team win at soccer 4

There was some sort of O+ event going on at Ladun Maija as I ran bad, as per usual, I had no idea what it was. Over the weekend there was an event in Tampere. Now that the other Tera boys have moved away from Keltinmaki its gotten a lot harder to get to events. No one particularly wants to drive over here to pick me up, even though I have said numerous times I'd meet them somewhere else. I have to keep begging, but I hate to just keep begging, though.

*le sigh*, or, *sigh-laisi*, I suppose. Or something.

Also have been struggling a lot with sleep over the last week, what with staying up until midnight and then getting up at 5AM to do interviews for my thesis. Throw in staying up until 1:30AM to watch the women's world cup and my sleeping is all over the place and making me very, very tired. Training is suffering for it.