Orienteering race 51:17 [5] *** 3.6 km (14:15 / km) +80m 12:49 / km
spiked:8/8c shoes: Black & Red Jalas Integrators
O-Ringen, Day 3. Hundfjället. My best day of the two weeks. Spiked each control. But leg speed was down as I favored my sprained left ankle..a souvenier from Day 1 on the slippery rocks around the Vasaloppet trail.
But I finished 194th of 236 in H65Kort (short). Much of the O was on XC trails I'd skied with Sari 8 years ago. But I finally seemed to be able to read the subtle Swedish terrain, and find controls.
Some of the motivation may have come from walk, who abruptly got up from our outdoors coffee table and ran away that morning. We'd been discussing the previous day, and he claimed my navigating was so poor that he didn't want to "catch" it.
Afterwards Soupbone and I went over to a VåffleStugan (little old Swedish cabin) on the way to the Start, and drank beer (more "lat öl"..2.3% "beer"), ate gulasch and cloudberry waffles, while we sat on the porch and cheered on the people still walking to the start.
Later, basking in the sun at our "Chez-Ringen" we were invited by the Danish couple next door (Richard Nøiers and Liselotte Pedersen) to come over for some "real" beer they'd brought up from Germany, and discuss various cultures, and what a fine legacy Bush was leaving to the World. They were teachers, as is Soupie, so there was a lot in common. It was a very animated conversation, and lasted through many beers and "sundowners" until midnight (sunset lasts for 4+ hours here), when Soupie and I begged for mercy and crept off for a couple hours' sleep.
I'm glad to report that all the booze must have put Soupie back on track: he ran a phenomenal 36:47 on Thursday, to finish 36th of 143 in H55-2. He even ran one of the final legs faster than the class winner!
Unfortunately this nice day was my last in Dalarna: the next morning orienteeringmom took me to the bus stop at Högfjället, and I spent the day getting back to Stockholm where I took Sari and her two friends (Jaana and Lisbeth) out for an exotic (for Sweden) Indian dinner in Södermalm.