Training Log Archive: Torino

Warm-up to the start along the beach! Wonderful.

Long Distance today in W65B: it went well to 1 and 2. But then to 3 I was impatient and took a trail in too early and came out on a water post on the trail. At that time I didn't notice that there were several on that trail, so I assumed I was where I wanted to be and headed to my control but there was nothing, of course. There I noticed the various water stations and headed back and found my flag. Hmm. From then on, I rarely made a mistake, I took a lot of trails around which was just fine for me as going across in the middle part, there were lots of blueberry bushes and I can't lift my legs enough anymore to bounce along the blueberries. Towards the end, I mostly cut across and could interpret the contours quite well (as they were more pronounced than yesterday) and came into the finish with a good feeling.
18. again! This seems to be my number!
Happy that I finished all the races, found all the flags, but I need to be more error-free and attacking towards the controls to be any better. However, I really didn't orienteer enough, well, nothing at all, these last 2 months. So that's the reality and I should be content with it. Wonderful woods in the dunes.

C • 18 is your number for sure! 2

Long walk in to the Arena

Model Long Final: hiked/jogged with Marianne and we did different exercises: trying to go straight seeing all the details or going by compassbearing only and missing the flag and re-orient back, etc. It was fun and good to see as the contours were shown in a homeopathic way, a knoll was barely a knoll, some depressions were so flat one could not really make them out. And then there were intricate parts with really defined hills and depressions. Luckily, it will be a map from the same person as he has his own way of showing stuff.
Basically we learned that we usually go too fast so see all the details and as consequence get lost! Slow, slow, slow will be the moto for tomorrow unless one hits a trail or it is a very defined area and clear landmarks to follow. But those small and almost undefined features will be hard to make out.

Long jog to the start in the rain.

Middle Final: went quite well, still a few wobbles and insecurties. But then, at the end I checked my watch before the last control and it showed 29 min then I raced to the last control knowing this must be a good time. I air-punched it and from the corner of my eye I saw the number 222, I took a few more strides until it sank into my brain and all the alarm bells went on and I came to a full stop very confused. I turned back in the finish chute and checked again but also checked that I needed another number. Hmm. I stood there and saw other women my age puzzling. When checking the map, I saw that mine needed to be a little further on obscured when coming from that direction. Then I realised that there must be more than one finish chute. That minute of confusion and not-informing myself ahead of time probably cost me the promotion to the A-Final. Rats. I ended up 18. with 8 women ahead of me within this one missing minute. With a little more luck and less bobbles, I could have made it. But ifs and whens does not bring me further. It is the way it is. The reality is that local and Scandinavian orienteers are more used to this terrain. It was wonderful though, quite intricate and again on very soft ground.

Forest Quali race WMOC: Started with high hope and confidence from the good training yesterday, but these woods were quite different though only separated by a dirtroad. It was quite flat with some features here and there to orient by. But it was mostly compasswork which I just don't do so well. I'd rather set my compass but corienteer by features. Well, I kind of "swam" here and there in the flatish area and eventually hit the control, but it was not straightforward as it was yesterday. It continued with some long legs with no trails but all following the compass line and I always veered too much either right or left and corrected with features (knolls, depressions) to the control. I knew that was bad. Towrds the end, to #9 and 11 I made major mistakes where I really searched in the wrong places and saved it by heading to a sandy big track and corrected bad in to my control. That cost lots of time twice. It felt as if I had been running for over an hour and was surprised that it was "only" 54:54, but too slow for A-Final. Kind of sad but also realistic that this terrain is very familiar for Finnish and local people and they are used to orienteer in such an area.

Model event just across the dirt road from the forest Quali race. Went in slowly trying to read every feature which was very visible with lots of attackpoints all the time. Also quite some hills to climb, The ground was soft and just wonderful. I ended up doing all the controls as I loved orienteering here and it all worked out!
An absolutely dream area for orienteering I have never encountered in my O-life.

I started in drizzle which eventually stopped. Found 2 passaged under buildings to #1 and was there in a flash. But then made a big mistake to #2 as I saw people passing ahead of me in a passage/stairs I hadn't noticed, so this changed my plans I had anticipated and I forgot to adjust. I didn't cross another building (which also had an underpass!) but went right to the end of the first building and found no flag but a plaza which was not supposed to be there. Caught my mistake quickly but had to go around to the flag and all in all lost at least 60 secs as the two controls were quickly connected taking those 2 underpasses directly. Annoying. Concentated still for the rest of the race but soon I saw (after appr. 8 min.) that it was only a road race with a few flags along the way into the finish and I felt a huge wave of disappointment about this short and non-interesting course with no passing touristic attractions along the way and being already over.
And in the end the course was thrown out bc one gate had been locked which was a viable route choice but not really for us as it depended on the location of the previous control and we didn't use that route. Whoever wanted to was going the long way anyway.

Sprint qualifying at WMOC in Riga. First part through old neighborhood w those infamous apartment buildings that look so uninviting and run-down. Quite easy here and straight forward. Second part was in a park w some climb up to the highest hill in Riga. Very open and easy also, but made a little blunder that cost me 30 secs. I made the A-final which I secretly hoped for but w the si-joint problems I kept having and the tightening of fascia muscles in legs and everywhere, had no idea how I’d run. With some ibu and prolonged stretching I managed a decent running style. Was happy!

Event: World Masters Orienteering Championships 2019
 

Just terrible run; don't know what's the matter with me. Back hurts for quite a while, but still.... depressing. I only feel strong on the bike.

C • Orienteering is a good distraction 4