TrainingWeekend #3

This weekend doesn't deserve "TrainingWeekend" name actually.
Plans were high, but tension of workingweek was too. Too little sleep, full speed at work and still trying to catch up training plans were too much. I didn't feel it on friday or I felt it but didn't want to realize the true.
Saturday morning I went to running technique course which was interesting and informative. We did some running exercises and running drills. Our technique was recorded and some analysis will reach me soon.
After the lunch I felt sleepy and wasn't really seeking for the planed trip to Uppsala for the night training. But at 18:30 I was already there, in the forest with a map, my compass and a lot of other runners. But that was just a beginning of a total disaster.
I just started to run to the direction of my first control trying to understand what was happening out there in the forest and why it was happening so fast! Ok, I landed not to my control and it wasn't surprising. After finding the "right" first control I got some touch with a map and started to use my own head. But it was just not working the right way. My minds were jumping from one topic to another as I was jumping over the marshes. It was just a matter of time when the total shut down will come. And it came on the way to the 7th control. Even my legs turned off. I managed to find the control somehow but the next one was out of my league. I gave up!
Plans for sunday were called off. It was time to recover mentally and physically!

TrainingWeekend #2

Second weekend with over 4h of forest done!
This time it was not so cold like the first one, but it rained during all 3 trainings.
Saturday morning - nice, dynamic "kontrollplock" with Järla. Felt a little stress at the beginning and it can be seen on GPS. But the second part went quite smoothly.
Saturday evening - corridor. Probably should have planed more technical one, but even though managed to loose control on slope orienteering. This is what must be trained more often!
Sunday - long course. Felt a little tired at the very beginning  and already on the way to the start thought that this will be a torture. But it felt better and better the first hour. Second part went also well but that energy kick was already missing. Despite that, finished with a smile on the face.
Who wants to join me next weekend? ;)

TrainingWeekend #1

Finally, my first training weekend after injury period. I hope it's not the last one.
One side of me says "maybe it's too soon, maybe it was too much..?", but this time I was quite easy on myself. First health, then training - this is something new and strange to me, but I must learn it and take it like a part of preparation for the trainings. Though tiredness is another thing. It can't be an excuse for stopping the training unless it can leed to injury. So let's train smart!

One small step for body, one giant leap for mind

I ran my second race after that long brake and it felt good. Not the shape of course, but orienteering and being in the game again. It feels good, it brings smile to my face even if it hurts..

Rolling shape..

"In case of need to restart, reach absolute bottom" - Something like this must be written in the instructions of my body.

It was one year ago that I felt in peak. 25manna relay, 2nd leg. I felt the flow as never before. Sure, physical shape was not that good but I felt realy strong in technique. If I would have to explain the feeling, it would be something like running the course for second or even third time. It's an amazing feeling wich I will remember all the time and will seek for it in the future. But after that race everything just went down. Next week after the relay I cought a feber for a week. After a month I broke my little toe. At the begining I didn't think it was so serious and just continued to train. But after a week or so it was impossible because of pain. Few rest weeks, then too early try to come back and again rest... It went like this until march and this 'game' had negative impact on my back which I didn't feel at that moment. Then I was sick again for a week and immediately after that jumpt into running shoes and tried to catch already lost shape. That lead into shin splint influence. This one stayed with me until June. During the time I managed to run 10MILA allmost untrained which wasn't so smart att all and just added few more weeks to recovery. After shin splints, when I thought that I see light at the end of the tunnel, back problem stuck out from earlier damages. Trying to train my back with a lot of squats, I managed to injure my knee...

Feels like it was ment to be so and nothing could change it. Every try was denied and just brought new problems. Maybe this was the plan for 2015, who knows. The 'black' period has lasted for one year allready. Is it the end? Will I be able to enjoy trainings again? These 'middleages' of my life have taught me to appreciate every activity and have showed me that alternative trainings also works! P.s. Statistics rules!