Training Log Archive: roar

Warm up to the start and up and down the track a bit. Heavy legs after yesterday though they felt like they were loosening up a bit. Perfect running weather after being a bit cold in the morning.

Back to some nice quality maps now that I discovered you can download the map from livelox.
Results

Mixed day. Started terribly. Borrowed Gina's GPS for a little better feedback but it had a downside. The watch turns itself off when not used for a few mins so between the warm up and the start it went back into power save mode. Tried to start it 10s before time and nothing happened. Worked it out and was mashing buttons on my way to the start kite. Hadn't reset it either. Since I had the GPS for better feedback I really wanted it to be on, so a quick glance at the map said go left into the forest, did that and got the watch started. Then I looked at the map and realised I was an idiot. Got the control ok then but I was already thinking about David who started a minute behind me and not the orienteering and missed two from not concentrating and he passed me.
Didn't understand the contours going to 3 and was too left. Worked it out at the green and then climbed to the control. Berated myself here and took a few seconds to sort out my head.
Then it got a lot better. 4 was fine though my legs already felt like I was at the end of a long distance. Got into the flow and even though I wasn't sure where I was 100% of the time for 5 & 6 I knew I was close to the line so kept moving well. Small hesitation on 8 and then I was in a group with two other guys. Didn't get the forest leaving 9 at all and went a crazy way, then made it even more crazy. Don't know why I didn't bail back to the track. I was telling myself I was too tired to hop the fence. Got to 10 just at the back of the pack. We were a bit right leaving 10, more left would have been faster and I was with them hitting the track. They sped away from me then though and I was alone through the forest to 11. Was really surprised when I came upon it. Gina was there and I was like "This isn't my control, next hill over". Checked the decsriptions anyway and it was. Left a bit confused so speed wasn't great to 12 but remembered earlier and put my head back in the map and got 12 well.

The start was a nightmare. I didn't lose huge amounts of time but it was just annoyingly stupid. After that though I was good. Perhaps lack of speed helped?

Cool down. Really wasn't in the mood for it but got started. Stopped then after 30s to chat to Ross for a bit before continuing on my way. Was about to go back when I saw a sign for fågeltorn (the bird tower) 600m away so that was enough for me to go there and look for some birds for a minute before coming back having done a decent cool down.

Got a printer/scanner today and do you know what it doesn't come with? A USB cable. So I still have no working scanner...

Nice long one for a Saturday. I realised I actually had to be working today as I in holiday debt but decided to get out during the day while it was bright out.
Great day for it too, sunny and nice temp. Headed to Stenhagen via the Linnestig and picked up some hittauts. Then back through Flogsta with a nice loop there. Bit of a hill up there. Had real problems with the hittauts on the shops in Ekeby though so spent a little time looking for those.
Then to finish off went up to Stadskogen and got 4 more points and then headed home. Felt good. Mostly just letting my body and the ground dictate the running. 80 mins before I started to feel tired this time. Was for sure tired in Stadskogen and all the paths in there are very hard to read, with no compass it was not terrible training. Picked it up a bit on the way home as it was a bit easier running and finished right on the 2 hour mark.

Tasty lunch and then back to work for the afternoon.

Terrible night's sleep. Had a headache and lots of waking up. Drank a load of water at like 6am and felt better by 7. Strangely untired when I woke up.

2016 is now my biggest year in terms of running (incl. orienteering of course, but not hillwalks, innebandy, cycling, strength etc. ) km and only smaller than 2008 for running hours.

6.734km 65.4m

Cycle to Stenhagen with Gina. Didn't know the route perfectly and had to stop a few times to check the map. Nice path through the forest, though it was covered in pine needles so we were both very worrried of slipping out.

Livelox - This doesn't really work because I didn't do the whole course. Will have to quickroute it. My GPS is so kind to me, looks a lot better than it was.
Results

Helklubträning 5 in Stenhagen - 8km
Had every intention of being there at 17:30 to get as much daylight as possible but it just didn't happen. Started at 17:55 but was still thinking it was 17:30 so didn't put on my headtorch which was in my bag.
Orienteering was mostly ok but the fading light really did impact. I was finding it hard to read the map well on the way to 5 and by 6 I had to slow down a lot. The sun set just before I got 6 and it was a really cool effect in the clearings. After that it was a race against time and the pressure was on. I kept believing I could finish it and might have made it if not for the mistake on 12 where I was just running on the compass and hoping for the best. Got 13 and decided that it was time to come back.
Nice area and an interesting course. I will probably go there on Saturday for some Hittaut controls so I might do the last loop of this course then too.

A nominal cool down in the ever approaching darkness.

Cycle home. Taking it handy. But the headtorch on the bike for extra seeing. Stopped in the shop for something important, ice cream.

Accidentally had a lie in when no phone alarms went off. Triceps are really DOMSy from Monday for some mad reason. Legs feel good otherwise.

Also got my 25manna team, though there probably will be changes in the next week and half.

Left as late as I possibly could and went quickly to KG. Of course the lights were very unkind to me today. Too early for the juggler to be out.

Warm up included in this accidentally and then a top class training in Lunsen set by Thierry. I was 46:19 for the course. We did a mass start with a good 10 people or so. Nice group together heading on the first long leg and I was there in 3rd or 4th place (ahead of the people with the wobbly corridor). Love had a different loop and I went the same way as David though took a different route choice. Missed 2 by about 10m so he got ahead and I never really got back to him after that. Good orienteering back to the centre control then.
Had a miss on 5 by just running straight past the control to the next hill and having to come back. Probably 1 minute. Got the flow and concentration back quickly though and was good again for 6,7. Small bit offline to 8 but recovered well and kept the speed high. For 9 I decided to go straight as the marshes have been so dry of late, forgetting it had rained today. The open marsh was horrific so I went around the second part of it. A bit hesitant for the next leg as visibility was bad but worked it out in the circle and a train came through just as I arrived at it.
Headed off on my loop only to discover I was behind Thierry. He was taking some really strange kinda roundabout route ( I realised later he was doing the corridor version) so I stayed a bit further right and picked the open marsh though I came to the control just behind. On the next longish leg I stayed much lower than planned by being distracted and didn't use my attackpoint properly so just faffed in the circle for a minute or so until I found the open hill. Decent again then on the last few controls but was definitely a bit more wobbly as I was tiring.

Really fun training. Nice to have all the other people around and I do feel like I'm getting the hang of this terrain.

Cool down with David and Love Sintring (who is from Örebro and knows Conor). Just along the road and back again I don't think we went that slowly. Can't wait to get my GPS sorted.

6.831 km 17.0m

Very easy cycle home with Gina. Stopped in Coop and forgot to stop the watch. Getting pretty cold in the evenings now. Had the hat and the double gloves this evening.

Stiff muscles and tired today.

Easy jog with gina by the train tracks, then by the cathedral to hill intervals. Small bit early and then some drills when everyone got there. Small enough group, about 10.

6x castle hill intervals

Started a bit quick and was hanging on and trying to match pace for the big climby bits. Slowed down gradually over the course of the intervals and the last two were pretty tough. Was hanging drifting off the back of the group of guys by the last one really.
Good session again, you really can and have to run the slog up to the castle. Long rests which is nice but a proper hard session still. Happy that all intervals were faster than the last time we did it.

2:14, 2:15, 2:17, 2:18, 2:22, 2:22

I reset my watch then started to head home. Sneakily got the hittaut at the top of the castle while we were there. Realised I had forgotten my jacket so went to get that and then I did the "flying kilometre". Didn't make 1 km in 3 mins as expected and it was a bit random where I was doing it so wasn't ideal. Felt good.

Cool down home with gina via Ica to get some limes for the guacamole. Dark now but streetlights are grand. It is time I resurrected the HRM.

I'm having a great time here. So much green on the log.

Monday - Running, drills, gympa, innebandy.
Tuesday - Hills at the castle.
Wednesday - Lunsen training. I'm on the night train! Kinda taking the piss to leave work at 15:30 Irish time to go training in the day.
Thursday - Helklubstraining in Stenhagen
Friday - Rest
Saturday - ? weather should be ok so probably cycle to somewhere and run some hittaut points. The should be people around this weekend too so might be some people doing something.
Sunday - Upplandscupfinalen - middle distance very close to uppsala

5.609km 39.4m

Late today. Pushed on a bit more. It was sunny enough that I could have gone for the sunglasses but the sun is now behind all the houses at this time of the evening. For the second time I saw a guy juggling at this one junction and then hoping to get money from the waiting cars. Didn't seem very profitable from what I saw.

Usual quick lap of Barkbanan and then drills and strides. Not a huge group out, I guess people were tired after SM at the weekend

Rockgympa.
My arms were real tired before I started for some reason, perhaps lots of cycling at the weekend. As a result I found a lot of the arm involving things very tough. We started with planks and did lots of core work today. The big bruise on my left hip is not that conducive to the exercises on your side.

Only 4 people for innebandy today so there was a lot of running involved. I was probably the worst of us. We played 3 games with all combinations of pairs and my team lost every time. I still haven't quite worked out the positioning of where to be when my team mate has the ball. Still good fun though.

5.531km 6.1m

Dark but still quite warm. Wore a bit too many clothes for it. Nice casual cycle all the same as the body was tired.