Training Log Archive: djsanton97

Helsinki area champs relay first leg: Legs and body felt really recovered before the race and mind was rested too. It was so much fun(except for the map without the map case in the rain, lol) Ready to fly towards NAOC already tomorrow!

Easy run to test out how my legs and body feel like. Pretty easy and steady, no tiredness, no dizzyness so I think recovery is there!

I was talked into running the Helsinki area relay champs first leg tomorrow, I'm gonna take it very easy and just make no mistakes, try to get a solid performance in before NAOC.

Some serious rest and travel back to Helsinki for 3 days. My own bed !! <3

Getting ready for the relay, so excited!!!

Race analysis below

"...all focus to the first leg of the relay, only gold is enough..."

Relay, first leg: mentally and physically probably the hardest type of orienteering there is. Especially if it is organised in a Latvian, mostly green and hilly, terrain with a course of 5.7k and 305m of climb.

Before the race I was feeling very good, confident of being well rested and revocered, ready to run with the lead pack all the way to the change-over. I set myself only one goal for this race: be the one without mistakes and that way be the one to come out first(or atleast lead pack). I was ready to challenge the best orienteers of the world.

30seconds... 10seconds.... GO! I started on the right side of the start shoot, reading the first and second leg right away thinking to myself 'what kind of sprint is this, looks too easy'. When I knew my route to my first controls, I lifted my head up to realize that I was in the lead to the start point. I was totally surprised because I wasn't even running that fast. Punched my first control second, just after Sweden's Jonas Leandersson. Still amazed of the slow speed we were running at, I wanted to make sure I'll be able to run the whole leg so I let the pack go in front. I punched 2, 3 and 4 at the end of the lead pack, still feeling really good and seeing the lead.

Running to my #5, I saw the closest back 40meters ahead turning to the forest. I knew I gotta nail this one to stay with the pack for the spectator control. I think I had some kind of black out here cause all I remember is taking the baring to the forest, towards #5, but the next thing I remember is being in the middle of that green, everybody disappeared somewhere and no idea of where I was. I kept going a bit and soon realised being way too far, next to that small open area south from my #5. Back to the control and towards the next ones.

3min behind the lead at the spectator loop, sounded really bad when I first heard it but I was betting on a very technical part after that. As it turned out, before the race I got the info from the ladies relay that after the spectator's loop the lead had done a lot of mistakes. And that was the case in the Men's relay too.

Sadly though, I hit a total wall after the spectator's loop. I could still run the trail halfway through the leg to #8, but after that it was mostly walking. I still found the control and kept going but then I also hit the mental wall at #9. A very bad set back, almost giving up already... Luckily the Irish team's first leg runner helped me to find that one. From here on it was just a struggle against all the hills on legs 9-13. But I wanted to give my teammates a chance to run their legs too so I kept going even if it felt really really bad.

Leaving #13, I wanted to find the easiest way. The road option on the left, I saw it and that was what I wanted. Getting to the road turned up to be much harder than I thought as I couldn't control my legs in the downhill from #13 past #9. Once I ran over the field to the road, I saw the Chinese guy. I thought to myself that I needed to stay with him if I wanted to survive until the finish. Next thing I know, I'm climbing the hill up to #14, no clue of how I got there or where the Chinese guy was now. I felt my blood sugar going really down, even just standing on that hillside felt really bad, almost dizzy-kind-of. Finally climbing the last meters of that 65meter climb to #14, I had to take my shirt off, it was SO hot. It felt a bit better but not much of help. The good thing was that there wasn't too much climb or harder running surface left before the finish. Last push to get through #15, #16 and #17. Over the finish line and map to Greg, I was DONE.

I remember hearing "we are taking your gps off", "here is water" and "you should move to the grass so nobody runs over you". The rest is just one empty black space in my head. Apart from those phrases, I have no idea what happened between collapsing at the map board and realizing I'm on my way to the ambulance. Two organisers helped me walk towards the ambulance when I kinda gain consciousness and from there on was able to walk by myself to the ambulance. They mesured my blood pressure(which was really low as I suspected) and heart rate. After a bit of rest I gained more energy and my heart started beating more steadily. All good after all.

Now, I guess it was the heat that got me, very badly this time. Anyways, I have a long way to being the best first leg runner in the world so once I get back on my feet, thats where I'm gonna start from.

GPS: http://www.tulospalvelu.fi/gps/2018wocRelayM1/?v=m...

C • Oh wow 2

Relay model event

Short wake up run

WOC Middle: Very good start, first 3 controls without difficulties, just slower pace so I could keep my orienteering. Going to #4 I was a bit unsure of what to expect and thats why I ended up stopping twice and going too low before the control, +1min. Then #6 I was going way too high and was searching it 100m to the right, +1.10min. After that my orienteering was flowing well, tho should have left #6 straight up to the road. Then at #7 Matt Doyle caught up to me and followed me until #8. After that he started running really hard, we caught up to Ricardo Ferreira and Matt kept that fast pace over the bridge. After the bridge I lead the train to 11 and almost until 12. Then Matt took the lead again and after that I couldn't keep up with them. Tried to recatch them on the way to the spectator loop but it was just too fast for me. I tried to read the last loop ahead on the spectator shoot but just totally failed #16, not focused at all, plus 1.30min. After that it was just a fight against the running hills. I don't remember a time when I would have walked to the last control...

Forest WOC debut behind and I'm feeling very happy for keeping it together pretty well. Now all focus to the first leg of the relay, only gold is enough...

GPS: https://www-tulospalvelu.liveorienteering.com/gps/...

WOC middle model: some very open and fast forest, seemed much better than what I was expecting. Though it wouldn't surprise me if the organizers just made the model look too good. It was also a lot more flatter than what the actual race is gonna be. But still felt good running, I'm ready both physically and mentally!

Unofficial indoor-o world champs at the National Library of Latvia! 13 levels and sooooo many flights of stairs going up and down. Super fun and probably the most challenging orienteering course I've ever done!! I wasn't expecting an hour of running for one course, especially cause you had to run two courses to be considered for the world champ title. I kept my pace to an easy one, wasn't pushing in the stairs going up so I think I'm ready to rock the middle on Tuesday!!!!

Event: WOC 2018 - Latvia
 

WOC sprint quali: what a race, I was so nervous before the start(and it didn't help that the Irish guy was breathing heavily next to me at the start line, hehe...). Running felt good but I wasn't able to find the flow cause I was stopping at 4,5,7 and 10. I was really tired at the finish and so sad that I didn't make it, it was so close!! But still really happy!!!!

WOC debut done!!!

C • Well done! 4

WOC Sprint Model: getting into the local mapping style, some faster running too. Ready to race tomorrow!!

(PS: It starts at home)

C • Good luck! 5