Training Log Archive: Rosstopher

Got a little behind schedule and so didn't get started on my plan for two loops of the backbana until just before 5 tonight. There was an entry in the training bank for the morning, suggesting 2 loops of the course but the meeting time was during working hours, but I decided that I would do the same workout, just on my own.

Conditions were not ideal, wet leaves, some fresh downed trees, and getting dark near the end. So this time was all that I had in me for today. Not too slow in the start, coming through the half in 12:34, then got a little tired and slightly lost on the last woods climb (hard to see the goat path in these conditions), so through one loop in 27:12. (no garmin tonight, this was on my timex)

Slipping a lot down the hills for the next loop (most of the dobbs on these shoes have pretty much rusted/fallen out. Bought them in June or July I think) half way on this lap was 14:01, and really finishing in the dark second lap was 30:32.

Not a bad effort. Will have to come out and run a few more doubles/triples/(quads??) at somepoint :)

Janne's backbana in Uppsala - Splits

A good race at a nearby map on a beautiful day. The same map, Skogstibble, as the DM relay (on Sept 4th). Today I raced much better, and am very happy with my result. I look forward to a few months from now, when this level of racing will seem inexcusably poor :)

I was named to the 2nd Linné team for next weekend, and so I decided that, in preparation, I wanted to focus more on being aggressive in the forest and running hard. This worked pretty well, with only a few small bobbles throughout the course. It's getting easier to move through the terrain here and to read the map :)

Also, thanks to Boris for encouraging me to tape my ankles today.

Quickroute here.
Winsplits here.

C • Next weekend 2

C • Ha 8

Orienteering today felt like some kind of cosmic reward. "Good job, you get to go out with your friends on a beautiful day and run through the woods. Keep up the good work."

Eight of us headed down to a new map for me, Kungsham-Morga. People here are spoiled, and there was a lot of grumbling about how moose hunting season meant that we couldn't go to the nice map for training. It was kind of nice to have real hills to run up, but the green was thick in places.

The plan was to run with Boris and Andrew, and at first I was champing at the bit, pulling ahead and enjoying the sensation of running fast and controlled through the woods. Then I would wait for them to catch before we would head to the next. I settled down after about 7 and was running at more the group speed. A very fun session marred only by a crazy amount of cattle-tracked mud wallowing and, unrelated to the mud, turning my ankle twice or three times ( I wonder if this is an effect of wearing integrators, or an effect of switching to a different shoe from the ones I've been wearing for the past couple of months). On the last ankle sprain I swore loudly at the pain, and a dog-walker on the nearby trail was possibly convinced that I was swearing at her dog, she was amused I think.

After training, lunch and games. I lost Ticket to Ride Europe for the first time, the end of a glorious winning streak spanning nearly a week.

C • Ticket to ride! 1

Event: US S/M/L Champs 2011 & WRE
 

To the clubhouse. Headlamp not charged, wonder what happened there.

The club intervals this week were (1 loop slow then 1 loop fast) x 3-5 on the Norby trails. Mostly on the lighted trails, but the headlamp was nice for the sections in the dark. The loop was about 1 k long and a nice rolling section of trail. Legs feeling strong but not fast, and I felt like I had one speed available to me tonight. For the fast laps I was getting 3:50 - 4:05. Had decided that I would do 4 sets and was just slowly jogging and chatting one more loop with the crew after I finished, but then Sam and Kristina appeared and headed out to do one last fast one. Not to be outdone, Boris and I set off in pursuit. I am glad that I did all five, as I was feeling really tired at the start and was having a mental battle over whether I could/should do more than 3 sets. It feels good to triumph over mental enervation.

Back from intervals.

Half-Marathon. A re-run of the same course as our first half-marathon this season. It was tough choosing between this training and the night-o training in Nåsten, but I wanted to keep the weekly habit and I thought it would be a bit quicker (and thus I'd be home to see Sam faster). Glad I did it.

The group of 8 paced quite reasonably from the start, picking up as we hit 10k and as people started dropping off. I managed to keep up with Henrik and Olle until about 16, but they were pulling away. I gave a little surge to catch back up to them at 18 or so, but had no ability to maintain that level, so they again pulled ahead. Stuck waiting for traffic as we entered the city again, and then couldn't follow their lead anymore, so I got a bit lost and added a few meters getting back up to the castle. They were nice and waited for me there :)

Night O training course at Stenhagen. Went passably well, except for one truly poor control. Area was a bit thicker and wetter than I expected and I didn't have enough confidence to push on through to the control site. Instead stopped and relocated several times, and kept missing.