Training Log Archive: BorisGr

Recovery jog around Nåsten and Norby before the training group meeting. Stiff in the beginning, but felt better towards the end. The continuing stomach problems are worrying me, though.
Kat is here tomorrow!!!

C • Stomach problems 1

Warming up and getting my body to wake up. Felt quite stiff and not in race mode during the warm-up.

Upplands Lång-DM, organized by Vallentuna-Össeby near Åkersberga.
It's been a long time since I'd run an actual long race, so I felt uneasy on the warm-up, as my body refused to wake up. However, the straight uphill start woke me up pretty quickly, and I felt fine the rest of the way physically. Navigation was another story, as I missed time on #2 (1:00), #3 (2:00), and #5 (3:00). It was really detailed stuff, and I didn't approach it cautiously enough. Plus, it's been a while since I'd raced in really detailed Uppland terrain. That was disappointing, but things went better after that. I was caught by Ola Hultin from 6 minutes back, and ran with him for a while, sometimes taking the lead, sometimes behind. Then we split up on the long leg to 15, and it looks like I got ahead again. Unfortunately, I got stuck in some nasty green on the next long leg, to 18, and lost two minutes. I saw Ola again leaving 18 and ran hard to catch and pass him. Felt good all the way to the finish and navigated quite cleanly in the end. Finished 12th, with Johan Höij winning in 83 minutes - an impressive time!
Also, I think one reason I didn't hit the wall today was because I took a gel that you could open and close again, and so instead of taking it all at once, I took a couple of sips at a time a few times during the course. That seemed to work well, and I'll be trying it again.
Results: http://www.vallentunaosseby.nu/arrange/2007/dm/str...
Map: http://my.opera.com/borisgr/albums/showpic.dml?alb...

Just the perfect day to start the fall with! Sunny, a bit breezy, and just warm enough that it actually feels warm, and not hot. The perfect day for a nice run on the trails in Nåsten, in other words. Took a swing past Flogsta to drop off Patrick's keys, and then off to the forest. A mix of small and big trails, as well as a couple of stretches I've never been to before. Very enjoyable run. How can I even think of leaving this place, with all of these great places right outside my door??

C • Moms 2

Caught up on much-needed sleep.

Jogging to and from the start.

OK Linné middle distance club champs on the brand-new map of Stadsskogen, extended north and west enough to include my house. I've finally realized my dream of living on an orienteering map! And i did it not by moving to a map, but waiting for the map to come to me. :)
But anyway, I am happy to report that there were no 11-minute mistakes this time, unlike my last middle distance outing. I did miss about 40 seconds on #1, enough for Crister Nygren, who started 1 minute behind me, to spot me leaving. We were together at 3 and race head-to-head for a while until I missed 15. The area around there was very strange, and I didn't quite understand all the trails even when I came back there during my job back home. Then got caught by Jonn Are, fresh off his awesome 6th place in the middle distance at WOC, on the long leg to 17, and we both navigated to #3, which was almost right on the line. That cost another 20-25 seconds or so. I finished 10th, 3:54 off Mats' winning time. Mostly satisfied with the race, especially physically. Incidentally, Jonn Are ended up 6th again.
Splits: http://85.89.72.58/winsplits/online/sv/default.asp...
Route Gadget:
http://www.oklinne.nu/routegadget/cgi-bin/reitti.c...

C • Good one! 5

I've been in Uppsala long enough that I am now running a few of the same races three years in a row. So here is a result and percent-behind comparison for the club middle champs for the last three years (and yes, Stadsskogen is a much easier place than usual middle distance terrain, but still):

2005
Place: 11/16, Percent behind winner: 37.7%
2006
Place: 15/26, Percent behind winner: 25%
2007
Place: 10/31, Percent behind winner: 16.6%

I'll try to do comparisons like these for a couple more races this fall to see if there is a visible trend.

C • Cool! 3

To KG, around Norbyskogen with the girls, and back home.

Secret Russian Running Drills.

Back in the woods! Pre-ran one of the courses for this Friday's Night-DM in Hammarskog. About 11C and drizzling. Running in tights and a long-sleeve thermal top. Quite a change from Ukraine, but still nice to be out in the woods.

Running back to KG from Hammarskog with Andrew, Patrick, and Tomas. Had a nice chat with Tomas about good and bad ways to approach important races mentally. The run itself felt nice too, the scenery was quite pretty as the clouds gradually disappeared, and we got to see a lovely Hågadalen at sunset.

C • Ekebysjö 6

C • how to approach big races 1