Training Log Archive: Kseniya

Re-running the middle WC course this morning. Parked at the finish + second start area and jogged to the start.

Legs were definitely not feeling fresh after days of forest running but overall they felt stronger. Hit #1 no problem, said, "Yes!" and carried on, but messed up #2 by taking a different route and compensating for previous error by overrunning it. Oops. Rest of the course I greatly enjoyed, still hesitated on same controls that I made mistakes on during the WC (#6 and #8) but overall my understanding of the map greatly improved. Furthermore, I felt more like "running on waves" today. The trick was to let go of control, soften the knees and let the plush ground carry you. It is still physically challenging but at least there is progress :). My time is almost exactly same as during the race, but I wasn't pushing hard today and had no fellow Slavs to push me, then again I also didn't make that many mistakes..

After lunch on a lake and a nap I set out on my second training for today on the Ljungskile East map (1:15 scale this time). This area is a xc ski resort and has a decent trail network and not many big hills or rocks. Very nice forest. I didn't do a course but some terrain running instead, practicing not being scared of going through the marshes. I didn't want to stay out for that long and I could feel that I'm low on energy and blood sugar; managed to get a little lost on the trails trying to get back. Not to far from the parking lot though, there is an absolutely gorgeous stretch of woods that gave me goosebumps as I was running through it. It was a clean pine forest with harder ground covered in moss. Great ending to my training here in Sweden.