Training Log Archive: Dooby

Took Neil and Conor to Kajaani to run on a long area. Stayed in the car while they were off running, only gone for an hour. Didn't find this area too accurately, only a small detour, but we weren't too sure of where we were going.

Juuanvaara

Intervals, but on my own. Conor and Josh also in the forest. Spent some time with Josh on the way to 1, was a bit unsure of where I was, but was close to the control. Went a bit left to 3 and overshot 4. Missed 9 too, ended up at the higher boulder to the west.

Nice area and felt comfortable at the slow pace I was running. Flies were very bad around the car but ok running.

Juuanvaara

Ran Finnish middle selection race, badly!

Take 10mins and 0.8k off total as that was to the start.

Tiny miss on 1, bigger miss on 2, 3 was fine and then took a very big detour to 4. Actually probably a massive detour.

Also missed 5 by a small bit and 9. Mistake on 12 too.

Overall a pretty poor run but I did enjoy the area and felt ok moving when it was in the right direction. Very warm out there and was thirsty running, definitely suffering some form of dehydration.

Should I add the 60km of extra driving into the distance getting here? I wasn't navigating though.

Intervals on Tokhovaara

Started slow and missed first 3 by a tiny bit each time. Happy with 4 but calf issue on the way so slowed.

Sstarted 2nd one just after Conor and Josh but got 5 ahead of them!

Was moving slowly home.

Different type of area to this morning, small hills between marshes with boulders.

The calf issue that slowed me down this afternoon may just be an insect bite behind the knee. Will investigate tomorrow and do some extra stretching.

Found a load of bites on my back, got new ones on my legs and also a few on my face/head.

Karsikko

Another sprint session, and before breakfast too. That stop it being around 27 degrees though!

Warmup didn't happen, legs not liking running, but knees not as sore as yesterday. Time is just off my normal watch, forgot my Garmin, doh! Used distance from Joshosh.

Map was 1:5000 and not the most accurate at times, the mapping between some forbidden areas could have been better. Stupid mistake to number 1, was heading for a different control, smart.

Then later on around 5 the indistinct path I was looking for was non-existent and I didn't like that. Also missed a better route choice there. Then the next one there was another path issue, path missing again, so lost some time deciding what i'd do. Wasn't that bothered.

After crossing the road I was a bit hesitant at the pit then got messed around a tiny bit by the small paths at the next control, they did exist this time.

Then back to the finish. Didn't run that fast this morning, hard to know the effort without HR data. Definitely no more than 3.

Moving from Joensuu to Koli today for 2 nights. Close to the areas where the Finn's had their middle selection race last Friday. Will run that course in the morning, so all middle training between now and Saturday when we move to Vuokatti.

Undecided on whether to train again this afternoon. By the sounds of things Neil and Conor are being lazy today.

Definitely plan on having a couple of days rest soon, probably Sunday and Monday. Give the body a break. Then a few middle and sprint sessions during next week but nothing hectic. Won't waste energy on running on any long areas despite how nice they are to train on.

Did nothing for the afternoon. Knee was sore on the drive up to Koli, not the reason I didn't train, tired. Seriously heavy rain on the drive up, plus some thunder and lightning, poor driving conditions so that drained me of even more energy.

Had a punnet of strawberries in joensuu at lunchtime, €5 for around 500g. Didn't share!

Finnish middle selection race in the morning and based on the maps we've got it'll be intervals in the afternoon, also middle terrain.

Jog from hostel to start of orienteering training. Knees very sore to start off with but gradually felt a small bit better.

Joensuun Yliopisto (Joensuu University)
Sprint Training

Planned a course and ran it. Joshosh also did the session. Did mostly ok, not moving too well, tired and sore. Bit confusing with a building missing off the map at number 9 but was alright. Was clean enough orienteering but wasn't the hardest area or course. Good to get some practice on a sprint map and at 1:4000.

Since the course hadn't taken that long myself and Joshosh did a short run around the map, get a feel for how things were mapped. Then ran back to the hostel. Can't describe it as running though, my legs felt awful, nothing in them, and knees were sore again.

Was just happy to do the sprint session this morning. The way the legs felt running home afterwards it wouldn't have been fair to have used them again. Brought the lads out to a long area, looked nice on the map, so while they ran I read a book down by a lake, peaceful. Until the lads came back and brought the flies with them, wasn't too bad before then!

Kauhee

Interval training with ndobbs, middle.

Tough uphill walk to the start. Neil had to retie his shoelace then so I ran in circles around him to distract the flies, not sure if my watch was on for that running but will check the GPS at some stage!

Head to head running but intensity wasn't that high at times. Neil did better than me on the 1st interval but not by that much. My route to 1 veered a bit to the right whereas Neil went more direct.

On the 2nd interval Neil was ahead to 4, I didn't quite get the hills before the control, hard to see the bare rock on the map too that the control was on. The form line spur looked more like a hill to me. Then to 5 I was on a compass bearing, dropped down and found Neil stopped at some hills, I kept going and found the big boulder and then the control. Stayed ahead to 6, and dropped down to 7 slightly left of the control. Then uphill to the finish of that interval.

Another big climb to the start of the next interval.

Nice downhill leg to start. I went a bit right to the next control finding a few features on the way that I was able to find on the map. 10 I overshot with Neil. 11 I was confused at, Neil got there just ahead of me. Problem was that my control description said boulder, so I navigated to the only boulder in the circle, but the control was at the feature in the centre of the circle, a crag. Then jogged to the finish and on towards the start of the last interval.

Neil again lead to the 1st control but I had caught him before 16 and passed him. Control description was wrong for 16 too. Then across the green and into an area with lots of boulders and crags. Got 17 and an easy run back to the car.

Enjoyed this area much more than yesterday afternoon, challenging orienteering. Good to have company for it, nice motivation. Happy more or less with my orienteering.

Times for the intervals, total time includes to the various starts where we were generally moving slow until the flies got really bad:
9.19
11.35
12.41
14.18

Puntarikoski

Joensuu equivalent of a CorkO summer league event. Relaxed set-up, and not sure yet of the numbers. Warm evening and that must have been why they'd 2 drinks controls on the long course.

Did the first loop alright, slight hesitation at 2, stopped short, and strayed a bit off the line for 8.

Then across the road for some more technical orienteering. Got 10 and 11 alright, but messed up an easy 12, drifted too far left across the open area before 12, hit the track and assumed i'd to go left, I was wrong, needed to go right as i'd gone too lar left, figured it out soon enough.

Then towards 13, took a direct line, but used the wrong white area to attack off. Bad mistake and I reckon i'll find out that when the GPS is analysed that I could have been off the map!

Got 14 alright, used the track to keep it simple, and then to 15 I don't really know what happened. Think I followed the ride to the east of the line but that wasn't the plan.

17 was another bit of a mistake, came in from the sandy area to the southeast of the control, climbed the hill but found another depression or 2 before the control. Tough to get through the green out to the track towards 18. Then a relatively big climb up a sandy bank to 19 and the run back to the finish.

Not a very good race, wasn't pushing that hard but silly mistakes on easy controls.

Oinasvaara

Started a middle course at the same time as Neil. Got the 1st one ahead of him but I went too far left to 2. 3 we took different lines and I ended up too far right this time. Did know where I was though. At 5 Neil stopped so I went off on my own. Happy with how I got 6 but bit of a hill out 5 to get up first, tough. Ended up a bit left of 7 but happy with the remainder of that leg. Hesitated before 8 but was very close. 9 I ran in the open area, underneath the crags then climbed over the top, spotted 12 on the way.

Messed up 11 stupidly, followed the marsh\hill, linear almost. Then cut over when I should have just followed the line I was on. Ended up looking for the control outside the circle, really smart! Bit of a climb out of 11 too towards 12. Then down to 13 before contouring to 14. Somehow I decided I needed to drop so climbed back up to 14 from the crags in the top part of the circle. Need to be more careful with that kind of leg.

Time is guestimated as I forgot to re-start my watch at the start, and so is distance, straight line plus a bit. Really nice area to run on, enjoyed it.

Oinasvaara

Same map as before lunch but different part of it, and boy was it different. Really didn't like it. Never got moving, made mistakes, and found it rough with low visibility.

Downhill orienteering exercise so should have been fun. Went up the hill to the start. Got the first 2 controls nicely but then the wheels came off a bit. Stayed too high and drifted right of 3, spotted the road so used that to redirect myself back towards the control. Found it but was never too sure. Out of 3 and onto the road. Cut in by the marsh and wandered slowly in the direction of the control, hit it ok, but again uncertain.

5 I got ok, went right of the line into the area with more white for better 'running'. Then made a right balls of 6, contouring leg but got it very wrong. Went right to stay in the white area but probably cut down too soon or more likely too late. Then was too low, climbed a bit, turned around, had a look then eventually hit the felled area and used this to take a direct bearing from to the control which I still didn't get cleanly. Dropped down out of 6 but followed the re-entrant with the drain for a bit, before realising I needed to go west, not north!

Last few controls were grand and there was no way I was climbing back up the hill to do the 2nd half of the exercise.