Discussion: How to succeed in Orienteering?

Marry a Norwegian! (1)
This and many other surprises are waiting to be discovered in the latest and greatest Orienteering Today.

Other things of note:
* WMOC in Canada
* Some training tips from the great Sime
* And, yes, Micr-O rears its ugly head!

(1) For tips for all of you aspirants, they feature an interview with NA's great Sandy HJ.

I don't know. I married a Swede and all that happened was I gained a ton of weight! I think you're supposed to keep training after the wedding.

See, that was the problem...you married a Swede. I believe the instructions were to marry a Norwegian. Big difference!

For anyone who doesn't know Eric, he is a super fatty. He would be the one who would stand out in any crowd of orienteers. It's hard to know what orienteer you could even compare him to, since he is in a class of his own. But don't be fooled--it's all muscle, just like on those defensive linemen who are getting on to be about 400-500 lbs these days (and feel like they are playing a bit light.)

But he carries his tonnage well, and I think he even notched the latest victory in the Death Match, right, Eric!

I did, although I still trail in that important affair. There is some history, here. Back in my misspent youth, I was actually so thin that the Olympic Coaching squad (for cycling) told me I'd better fatten up some. They measured my body fat at 1.4%, which is apparently not considered healthy. I got myself up to a robust 3% body fat and did race better.

So, since I had to actually go out of my way to gain enough weight to be considered healthy, I developed this self-image of being a skinny guy. Then came the above-mentioned marriage.

It turns out that I was actually a fat guy who just rode his bike 500 miles a week. I stopped doing that and gained 60 pounds in one year. I decided I didn't really like being a fat guy, so I started training again. I'm still 15 pounds heavier than I was back in the day, but I can move fast enough to beat David Frei every now and then and really, what else in life matters?

Nothing. The only thing that matters is the Death Match.

But 60 pounds in one year? Maybe there is an inner football player in you that has been struggling to get out all these years after all. That will play well when it comes time to crash and crush the thickets that wait at this year's Possum Trot.

Ah yes, crashing & crushing through this. That one image has really dampened my enthusiasm for ever running in a Kansas forest.

I consider Poison Oak is better than those thorns.

You can't be a wimp if you want to succeed in orienteering. It's a tough sport even without the osage orange. But throw in the attack badger, and it's an *unusually* tough sport.

As usual, if you want to take on Sir Spike and all his osage orange friends, the Possum Trot is the place to be!