Training Log Archive: WIn the 7 days ending Oct 25, 2015:
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Friday Oct 23, 2015 #
Note
Yep, finally got a cold.
Monday Oct 19, 2015 #
Orienteering race 3:35:00 [5] 31.62 km (6:48 / km)
Apparently Attackpoint won't allow going higher than a 5 on the intensity scale. But this requires about a 7.
SM-Erikoispitkä, which stands for Ultralong. I've been fearing this race for a week. I expected it to hurt, and it did. Quite a bit. But actually not for as long as I might have thought.
After a mildly chaotic mass start, I found myself actually running alone for a while after about Rasti 6. The first part I got in with a group going slightly slower than I wanted to go, but it meant those first ones were pretty smooth, until I got into the map and started to run a bit faster.
After I finished the first loop I was feeling pretty good. It thought "okay, if I have to do two more laps like this, that's not so bad!", but, I looked at the second loop, and it was a bit bigger, but, whatever. I got the short loop on the first map, which was also why people were so excited to see me run past, I was in 11th place at the time. The longer second loop pushed me back to a slightly more normal seeming 28th place. Still ran most of it alone, but was cruising along with only a couple small 20 second mistakes.
And when I came around for the last loop, I thought "okay, I'm starting to get tired, but I can totally do one more loop like that".
And then I picked up the third map. It was TWICE the size of the first two. And I would guess about the length of the first two maps combined. The first big problem was the long-ish road running that was required. I like Icebug Spirits, but they become really hard on the bottom of my feet after a while. The gravel roads were really, really hard on the bottom of my feet. I also stubbed my feet a couple times, so my toes were starting to bleed (you can just tell these things). After a butterfly loop and being saved from falling off a cliff by sacking myself on a large tree, there was a long leg back towards the finish and the last maybe 8 controls before the finish.
Unfortunately, this long leg the wheels really, really, came off. Quads, hamstrings, hip flexors were on Defcon 1 alert for cramping, so there was really no speed or power anymore. I found the controls okay, just slowly and not aggressively. My lungs were just fine, my legs were just no longer co-operating. Eventually I struggled into the finish, some 3 and half hours later. My GPS had me at 31.62, with the race distance being 26.5.
I don't quite know what I could have done different about the cramping. The calves were just fine, and I was wearing calf sleeves. I could compress the hell out of my quads too. My stomach was not agreeing with me so I only had two gels, I suppose I could have also carried some electrolyte tabs or something, I'm not sure that would have helped. I suspect the biggest gains would come from doing some more squats. Or orienteering. I also need to figure out what to do about the bottoms of my feet. Better insoles? Cushier shoes? I want the lovely softness of say... a Brooks Cadence, with the feel of an Icebug Spirit. I'm not sure that shoe exists.
Right this second, I don't want to do that again. But, in a year I'll probably be dumber and try again. The woods were really nice to run in and the sun came out just as we started and it was a wonderful day. Eventually I get to Quickrouting all of the maps, but I'm going to stop taking photos of my maps and actually scan them at school. They'll look better that way, I think.
But, all of that is not important because all I can think about is the giant hole on the ass-side of my tights that happened on the first loop. Very sad face. Fortunately, this photographer got the non-underwear side.
SM-Erikoispitkä, which stands for Ultralong. I've been fearing this race for a week. I expected it to hurt, and it did. Quite a bit. But actually not for as long as I might have thought.
After a mildly chaotic mass start, I found myself actually running alone for a while after about Rasti 6. The first part I got in with a group going slightly slower than I wanted to go, but it meant those first ones were pretty smooth, until I got into the map and started to run a bit faster.
After I finished the first loop I was feeling pretty good. It thought "okay, if I have to do two more laps like this, that's not so bad!", but, I looked at the second loop, and it was a bit bigger, but, whatever. I got the short loop on the first map, which was also why people were so excited to see me run past, I was in 11th place at the time. The longer second loop pushed me back to a slightly more normal seeming 28th place. Still ran most of it alone, but was cruising along with only a couple small 20 second mistakes.
And when I came around for the last loop, I thought "okay, I'm starting to get tired, but I can totally do one more loop like that".
And then I picked up the third map. It was TWICE the size of the first two. And I would guess about the length of the first two maps combined. The first big problem was the long-ish road running that was required. I like Icebug Spirits, but they become really hard on the bottom of my feet after a while. The gravel roads were really, really hard on the bottom of my feet. I also stubbed my feet a couple times, so my toes were starting to bleed (you can just tell these things). After a butterfly loop and being saved from falling off a cliff by sacking myself on a large tree, there was a long leg back towards the finish and the last maybe 8 controls before the finish.
Unfortunately, this long leg the wheels really, really, came off. Quads, hamstrings, hip flexors were on Defcon 1 alert for cramping, so there was really no speed or power anymore. I found the controls okay, just slowly and not aggressively. My lungs were just fine, my legs were just no longer co-operating. Eventually I struggled into the finish, some 3 and half hours later. My GPS had me at 31.62, with the race distance being 26.5.
I don't quite know what I could have done different about the cramping. The calves were just fine, and I was wearing calf sleeves. I could compress the hell out of my quads too. My stomach was not agreeing with me so I only had two gels, I suppose I could have also carried some electrolyte tabs or something, I'm not sure that would have helped. I suspect the biggest gains would come from doing some more squats. Or orienteering. I also need to figure out what to do about the bottoms of my feet. Better insoles? Cushier shoes? I want the lovely softness of say... a Brooks Cadence, with the feel of an Icebug Spirit. I'm not sure that shoe exists.
Right this second, I don't want to do that again. But, in a year I'll probably be dumber and try again. The woods were really nice to run in and the sun came out just as we started and it was a wonderful day. Eventually I get to Quickrouting all of the maps, but I'm going to stop taking photos of my maps and actually scan them at school. They'll look better that way, I think.
But, all of that is not important because all I can think about is the giant hole on the ass-side of my tights that happened on the first loop. Very sad face. Fortunately, this photographer got the non-underwear side.