Training Log Archive: Kseniya

Warm up for middle distance using model map.

Basically a disaster this middle race turned out to be. I was not prepared for this terrain and it got the best of me. Need to process a bit but some things that went wrong were stopping short, not understanding mapping of knolls vs small hills, not understanding mapping of open areas. The footing and rough ground was a major factor that left me feeling weak and pathetic and also took away focus from looking up at features.

I will be spending the next couple days around Munkadel and plan to re-run this course. I will not give up on myself this easy. I will try my best to conquer this terrain or maybe at least get in touch with it more. I will also reflect on life and other things being immersed in solitude. The hostel I'm staying in is right on a lake and there is a beautiful view with a sunsetting sun. The west coast of Sweden is truly wonderful (the car rental person even said "west coast, best coast", I'm not kidding).

C • West coast best coast 3

C • Awesome that you're going o... 6

Play by play analysis: Map

At the call up lines I’m calm and ready, focused and aware of what I need to do. Get the map, run to the start location but where is the start on the map? find one, nope, not the one, eventually find the right one. Scramble some contours to the start and have the plan of going through the reentrant to the left of the hill and around towards my two small hills. Make my way through the green, go up what I think is the hill but it’s too soon obviously, except that I turn left to try to find my small hills, and they’re not there and nothing is making any sense. I somehow get completely turned around and I check my compass but not diligently enough as now I’m facing south, not north. See a girl come out of the green, ok, let’s check, and damn there is the start flag. Bah! So mad at myself but at least I know where I am, took the control fine after that by going over the top of the hill just to be very safe. Mostly straight to 2, still getting used to the map. Everything just seems like it’s more contours than on the map and further away. I think this is due to rough ground taking away so much energy that you think you should be further just based on the effort you’re putting in. Anyways, slow to 3, a Ukrainian girl catches up to me and we run together to 4. She finds the trail to 4 and leaves me behind as I try to do the same. Took the trail all the way around, have no experience traversing marshes, so taking safe route. Hit 5 Ok but feel ridiculously slow and tired. Lose touch with the map on my way to 6, then stand right next to the my knoll not seeing the control, doubting my location and going down into the green. I see a Bulgarian girl who started two minutes before me, whom I wanted to catch, and who was having as bad of a race as I was.. Btw, she’s probably exactly the same height as I am, so I felt in good company :). But she goes up the reentrant to the same knoll I was just at and punches the control, followed by a Polish girl. Grr.. I decide to stick with these two but navigate myself as best as I can. I take the left route to 7 going up and down with the Polish girl while the Bulgarian goes straighter and punches the control first. She again goes straight to 8 but this time trail is faster and I take that route instead. Polish girl in front but she attacks too early. I proceed to smoothly go into the control but then get confused in what is mapped as open area and what is forest. I run right by it again getting close to the stone wall and running around stupidly along with my fellow Slavs. Eventually find the control, so that’s mistake three so far. Ok to 9, to the road crossing and attack from there. And another mistake on 10; I take the road and then try to go somewhat straight to my second big hill but then get confused by the knolls, thinking I’m running past the two and moving more up the hill than necessary. My comrades leave me behind as I scramble down the hill. So wish I had spiked shoes. On 11 I get confused by the small opening right before my actual opening; it is drawn as white forest but it was definitely open. Another Ukrainian girl (a different one) catches up to me and this time I stay with her until the end. Hit 12 smoother than her but she’s faster through the spectator control. I take the right route around olive green to go to 13 and up straight while the Ukrainian takes the left route. Straight to 14, no energy on the uphill, straight to 15. Aha, the Bulgarian is here as well, and we run to 16. These girls are faster to the last control and so I finish behind them. I manage to only beat the Bulgarian today, so sad.

Event: World Cup, sprint
 

Event: HVO Mountain Lakes
 

Warm up for the sprint on a model map.

Sprint in this beautiful coastal town of Lysekil in Sweden now. I was very sleepy this morning and could not get myself into a race mode, not nearly nervous enough. There were two loops on this course and the first one went Ok with decent execution of the long leg but it took some time to get used to the narrow passages between houses. Second loop had a lot of pure running and I just did not have it in me to push hard. Eva passed me and I couldn't even fight to keep up with her. Not happy with myself but it is silly to think that I would be able to just race sprints like it's not big deal; need time to practice and adjust. Like many other runners I had trouble with the SI Air system and had to return to unit on control 9 to punch again and on the go control, which did ruin momentum and was not fun.
Knee felt fine as long as I didn't extend it fully or bend it fully but the previous injury in my right foot was letting itself known.
Again, amazing venue.

With the help of Ross I finally learned (somewhat) how to play 7 Wonders, and actually won the first game that we played. :)

C • 7 wonders 1

Warm up. Feeling jet lagged.

Sprint Relay at Fredriksten Fortress in Halden. Team consisted of Cristina, Giacomo, Brendan, and myself. I was all excited jogging with the top women to the start area but when I got there I saw Brendan all by himself still waiting for Giacomo to tag off. I realized I will not be running with any women on my course today, which was definitely disappointing. I quickly got over it and just focused on having a solid race when the time came. I saw most of the teams finish before I set out on my course, which overall went Ok in terms of navigation. The footing in the foresty area was dodgy and I was not used it, leading to an awkward landing from one of the cliffs and hyperextension of my left knee. I probably lost 20-30 seconds on that leg (1-2) due to that. I also lost time hesitating on controls 6 and 10 and some route choices were not so great, but some other ones were decent.
The area for this relay was wonderful and I'm really glad to have been able to orienteer here.

12 x 100m at the track with Balter. Physical state - good, psychological state - good. I'm off to Norway.

C • Relay. 4

Did not feel well last night and this morning, so taking it easy.

30 min tempo run in the rain. Quite cold in the beginning but warmed up fine during the tempo. Will take rainy weather over heat for this type of workout any day. Took horse trails instead of usual ones as these were slippery and a bit washed out. Legs felt decent. GPS failed today; not sure pace is accurate at all.

When walking back to the parking lot with Misha this Saturday, all exhausted from training, I remembered a little thing I wrote during a car ride after a long skiing session this winter. I wonder if other people experience this.

"Two+ hours if intense exercise. An altered state of being follows. a feeling without feeling. No emotions, no pains, no desires, and rain drops do not elicit tear drops. It’s just rain, it’s just traffic, nothing more, nothing less. As if there is a layer extending beyond the stratum corneum, devoid of color, cocooning oneself into a state of perfect numbness. Is it bliss? How nice is it to not feel anything at all. A rational mind would find this euphoric without the associated excitement. Alertness without baggage. Detachment, complete decoupling from the environment. Alas, not a perfect state. Too inhuman, too modern-day human. I take a nap.
I awake.
Numbness lingers. A new sensation follows. One of deeper awareness, of most exquisite attachment to the outside world. The layer develops color and extends out, out beyond the self. Electric guitar cords flow in my veins; I am a rain drop. Coupled to the environment in the most intimate sense with a letting go of the “I”. Feelings, emotions converted from inside to outside, from outside to inside, fashioned into serene comprehension. Still without personal baggage, I am now a coupled human-environmental system. Connected, yet free. Is this the bliss that monks seek? Suffering of the body necessary for alteration. Temporary, it dissipates, and all is left is an aftershock."

C • I feel feelings like this. ... 3