Orienteering race 38:00 [4]
WOC selection race middle distance - hot day (28 degrees), no wind, sandy.
Did not feel very nervous, eventhough I was unsure how I was standing towards the other. Put focus to my self and tried to run safe and fast. I ran as fast as I felt I could, still loosing 15 sec to control number 1 without doing anymistake. Same story to the 2nd control - I didn't realize if I was fast or slow at that moment, but I felt it was tough physically and I felt the dry hot weather. To the 3rd I had full control until I managed to pass the control under it withouth seeing it, and having to return - a bit less than a minute lost. To the 4th it was a tough uphill, but saw Helen Palmer infront of me, and stayed positive. At the 6th we entered the flat area of the terrain and we got some water to drink. I was really tired at the moment and out of oxygen - struggeling to drink at all. Make a mistake to the 7th, which a lot of runners did, by thinking I run in the depression on the map, but I run in a depression which is very clear in the terrain but not at all on the map (?!!) loosing valuable time again. To the 8th I am so scared of not finding the small path, that I ran like a beginner in a big loop. Loose some time into the 8th control as well. After that I run well technically, but I have to fight very hard to put one foot infront of the other and to actully read the map. I don't know last time I was that tired during a compitition and after a compitition, but hoped it meant I had been running fast - it didn't.
16th position, 6 minutes behind - and the dream of running WOC middle drifted out of reach. Why I went from being in very good shape the week before to be running slow on higher pulse than ever before, is unclear to me. I think it mostly was the heat - which came from one day to the other, maybe a mixture of nerves as well? Anyway - not even close to what I had hoped for and what I think I can perform.