365 new pages

After reading a good book the feeling of missing these pages, these adventures, these characters we're getting used and loved always stays... The good thing is that we never know if the next book will be even better!
Like a good book, 2009 is ending. Tomorrow 365 new pages are starting...

Happy new year!

Buff Epic Run(ner)

epic - adj. - taking place over a long period of time and involving a lot of difficulties; very great and impressive

Soooo...what could I expect from the Buff Epic Run in Barcelona? :) Around 10km course with several obstacles to get through, including mud pools, straw walls, tube mountains, tyre barriers and rope mazes... "Que vols més Maria??" :):)

It was very funny and quite crazy race too... a lots of adrenaline running through my veins and a very happy ending! (surprising 2nd place - just a few seconds behind Laia Andreu, the 5th best runner on skyrunning world series)

If you really want to understand how crazy was this race check out here ;)

After crazy races and lovely days in Barcelona, it was time to come back home, work some extra hours in hospital and, finally, stand close from the fire place and also cook some delicious christmas dishes :)

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Get out there

Map and compass! yeah? everybody hears this when you ask: what do I need to start orienteering? And they asnwer: map and compass!:) That's the first step!
Then you start and quickly you become addicted and addicted to run orienteering. Suddenly that's their time to ask !: - Hey! Would you like to start on night orienteering races? And of course you say: - Yeah, sure! What do I need? - Well, you need map, compass and headlamp! :):)

OK. I have the map...and now, I have the compass and the headlamps too:) Since yesterday I became a Silva girl and I'll be sponsored for compasses and headlamps. Great! That's really nice to have such a great support! Thanks a lot! :)
I'm trying the new compass on next saturday training, but I already believe on a fast and very stable compass ;) For sure I'm having a new help on my courses. Take care;)

Besides that I also got sponsorship from Mund socks which look great for my feet, specially for so many kilometers of training and hard forests that we find everywhere. My feet say thanks a lot too!:)

GREAT! ;)

Into your heart

Yesterday I was on my first cardiac surgery...scalpel, clamp, suction...we're there!
We're into her heart! There it was...beating one hundred times per minute, during long 78 years, quiet between the lungs, full of feelings, full of life storys, full of mistery! Surgeons didn't know nothing about her heart... They only opened it, fixed and closed it. They don't even know her name... How many amazing storys should have been there? Thousands I bet.
They had her heart on theirs hands God! They just know she had a big aortic failure! Yes, for sure they will remember this heart, this bypass, this aortic valve...but maybe, in a few weeks they will meet «this heart» on the streets and they won't recognize it...

The fact is, they were six hours opperating, without any other visual contact besides her heart, her blood, her aortic valve...the only thought on their minds was this heart,this valve, this life! And they saved it! They saved all the feelings and life storys too. They saved this 78 years old heart...they saved this life!

What to do now doc? QUARANTINE!

Vomiting, headache, muscle pain, fever...nowadays it only has one meaning on doctor's head : you have the flu! H1N1 caught you girl! You have to spent the next seven days at home: QUARANTINE!

This I heard last tuesday afternoon, after spending all monday's night vomiting :( next seven days at home and of course no running, no training, no competition...:(
After three days at home the phone rang and I got the results of the test: it was negative!! So i was free again:):) and of course next day I was back on training! I started slowly and carefully and on sunday I was already able to run part of the race a bit faster than previous trainings. I hope that this week I'll be back on routine;)

I miss...

I miss the river, the park, the snow, the laught of the girls, the nice words of the coach, the thursday night orienteering trainings, the kilimanjaro, the sunny but very cold days...

I miss Jagniatkow kilometers path, the cross laps, the long long trainings on Sundays, the skiing time in Szklarska Poreba...

I miss the friends and I miss the coach! Yes I really do.

Winter trainings are much pleasant and much easier when you run on such a nice group of friends and with such great coach...Training more than 500min per week alone, with my headphones, is boring. I've been remembering a lot the nice winter training I had last season...

I really miss it a lot!

Saturday night da ba da dan dee na na na ;)

Saturday night da ba da dan dee na na na... pretty baby;)

No..saturday night wasn't time for training on the dance floor but it was the same fun! I ran night orienteering training, 7km, 17controls and 61min runing. I was quite satisfied with my training..! Last season I started to run a bit more at night because before I was always too scared to do it. So it was pretty nice to me to feel confortable in the forest, thinking on map and nothing else (like monsters or bad men in the forest ;)

I made a stupid mistake to the first control (yeah..it was the first one since many months) but then everything went fine. I could run as much straight as possible (there was some green) and I tried to avoid paths also to make it worth.

It was also funny because on the previous weekend we had a training camp of the national team on the same map and actually we ran on the same places and even in the same controls but, sincerely, I didn't realize about this during night! With my small lamp I just could read the map and see some meters in front so everything seemed new :)

Happy endings - I just love them ;)

Like a movie (those where they marry, have children and are happy forever) my season is finished :):):)
My last race, my last km «on the field» were in Spain, Toledo, on Iberian Championships.

This is map from middle distance. Well, for sure it doesn't fit on the «happy ending» style because it was literaly a disaster! I dont know, but I think this time I was more woried with my running speed then with my orienteering technique. So I was absolutely «lost» on my goals for this race and when I thought «this map looks very very fast» I lost all the possibilitys of doing a good race.

But fortunately we had another race on the afternoon, and I was really motivated to do a good job. It was held on the historical city of Toledo,with many crowded and tricky streets. In my mind I had it clear «don't run too fast! otherwise you'll make mistakes». It worked quite well, but some hesitations and a bad route choice cost me some seconds. But in the end of race I was happy with my «orienteering speed». It seems that I had a clear lead with more then a minute to the other runners but well, then Ona Ràfols from Spain came and she beat me...by one second ;)
Besides looking frustrating (in fact it was a bit) I was happy with my race, with my speed, with my good recovery between races and well...you know...Toledo is a wonderfull city so you just have reasons to be happy :):):)

Next day we had long distance and I felt really motivated to do a good race. I started quite well, without big mistakes, but after crossing a hard green on the way to the 6th control I lost my direction and the sense of which hill is what...I didn't stop to check, and well, in fact I stopped...but too late, when I was on the path above. And obviously when I was running towards number 6 I saw Ona Ràfols who started 3min after me...
We ran most of the course together and in one hand it was good because we were pushing harder but in other hand I think we made mistakes because of running together. On the last part I had a bit more fuel on my body and I finished I was about 20seconds faster... Ona wons (1:03:06) I was second (1:05:45) and Alicia Gil Sanchez was third (1:11:01).

And coming back home, with all «training baggage» of the season packed, I had such a great smile! Finally I can say that this season I made a big step on the right direction and my motivation to keep walking like this is high :)

Planning your winter season?

The mercury is falling, the days are shortening and becoming crisper, you've flung the flip-flops to the back of the cupboard for another year and dug out the scarf and gloves. It can only mean one thing - winter is on the way.

For the skier and snowboarder it's the most exciting time of the year, as thoughts turn towards a prized two weeks in the mountains.

Fortunately in Portugal the sun shines all winter and we prepare one of the best orienteering races: NAOM! Problably sounds familiar;) This year it will take part in Crato, a small village in Alentejo, on the south warm and sunny part of the country.

Soft terrain, rich of stony details and some tricky streets for sprint night race are waitting for you!

Take a look at http://www.gd4caminhos.com/naom/2010/

II Trofeo Sierra Norte - Madrid

Last weekend I flought to Spain to re-start on orienteering game. Pine and stony forest, tricky areas on middle distance, sounded really nice but I was still praying to don't have pain on my tendon...so I was decided to run carefully.
My teory of «slow speed, no mistake» didn't work very well. In fact, when I started my race, my legs were a bit confused about the speed. After swimming and riding bike, running on the forest was pretty different and it was hard to find the «correct» speed. I always felt running very slow, so I was all the time pushing harder. Luckily I survived quite well with all the training of the previous months;) I still made some mistakes but I was fast enough to get the first place. Truly speaking I was surprised! And happy :)

1. Maria Sá COC (Barcelona) : 1:05:46
2. Ona Rafols COC (Barcelona) : 1:07:02
3. Esther Arias Enero P.GUARA (Huesca) : 1:16:34
4.Anna Serrallonga Arques GRIONS-GIR (Girona) :1:17:39
5. Alicia Gil Sanchez COLIVENC (Alicante) : 1:20:20

After some nice evening in Madrid, I felt really tired to run middle distance. In the other hand, running a bit slower seemed nice to avoid mistakes... yes, I felt tired, but I had the nice feeling of fighting all the time, against mistakes that could appear with my tiredness. In the end I was second,one minute and a half behind Ona Rafols.

1. Ona Rafols COC (Barcelona) : 31:22
2. Maria Sá COC (Barcelona) : 32:44
3. Alicia Gil Sanchez COLIVENC (Alicante): 37:07
4. Anna Serrallonga Arques GRIONS- GIR (Girona): 37:16
5. Esther Arias Enero P.GUARA (Huesca): 42:32

Article of Catalunya newspaper ;)

Working on...

My imune system is working on producing a big army for influenza virus that can appear easily on coming winter. Last tuesday I was vacinated for normal flu but unfortunately i've been suffering of unpleasant side effects like mialgias and asthenia...Boring! Hopefully I'll be protected for all winter for this kind of virus...we'll see!

My musculoskeletal system is working on recovery of my tendon and it seems to be working pretty hard :) yesterday I was on phisioterapeut and aparentely I'm cured of this small stress injury! Thanks God! But of course re-start running has to be slowly and carefully with a lot of stretching in end of training. Nutritional care seems to be really important too!!

Next weekend I'm flying to Madrid (Spain) to run national competition on nice spanish terrain. By the way it will be my first race with the catalunya colours! Next season I'll be running on COC (club orientacion de catalunya) colours in some spanish orienteering races. Tipical spanish pine forest and some stony areas are waitting for me, but of course I'll be there running carefuly because of my tendon, so it will be a great opportunity to run without mistakes :) I'll try;)

And finally my brain is also working on my final teses of my study. I'll make a review about the impact of gymnastics training on growth and maturation, nutritional behaviour and bone density of child gymnasts.

Also I've already started to learn the huge book «Harrison - Internal Medicine»... I think in the next 365 days it will be the «person» which i'll spent more time with:) I have to learn quite hard because november 2010 i'll have examnation wich will decides a big part of the direction of my future life as a doctor... so start slowly, life begining of running season, and then closer to the «competition» work harder ;)

Riding and swimming

All season went perfect when we talk about injuries...Unfortunately now, just in the end of season, i've got some stress injury on my left quadricipete tendon. Two years ago I had the same problem (a bit more serious) and now it seems to be back :( Last week was spent on the crazy ambience of the pediatrics emergency room where all child are forbiden to have a normal flu...all of them are suspected to have swine flu and so...the caos! My time for refresh brains on training didn't exist and only a few hours on phisioterapeut make me feel «on training».
Last weekend I started to swim and ride bike and today i'll make the experience to re-start running...i'm crossing my fingers for nice feelings :)

Bronze girls :)

This is a team! We trained together for THIS! This is the real feeling of belonging to a "family". This was a REAL relay. I am REALLY HAPPY!! :):):)
HEY SLASK! HEY SLASK! HEY SLASK!

(photos by picasaweb.google.pl/lublin.bno)

Salomon Mountain Race

Our lifes are printed of first times: our first steps, first words, first friends... And step by step we made our first choices. We choose our sports. We run our first orienteering races! :)

Last weekend I ran my first mountain race! This part of season has been great as I'm allowed to run more relaxed and I've been having great fun. So why not to try mountain races? 14km with 560m uphill seemed quite though but if you take it easy, enjoying the experience and the magnific views it looks very nice.

Uphills were though but I enjoyed it very much as I could run it all the time, on nice speed while I catch some runners ;) The worst was when going down, I was so terrible,that all that runners that I catched before pass me running down like wild horses!

In the end I finished 4th senior and 6th overall. I was very surprised with such nice result specially cause I was quite «close» from the podium, where most of the girls are from the national team and the winner is vice-european champion 2007. It tasted good to feel the wind on my face running on such a nice speed.

And all this last part of season is full of nice races. First I ran 10km on Barcelona, where I was 4th; them I ran 5km on my hometown, where I won and got my new PB. It's nice to finally realize about my shape!

Next weekend we're going to the moutains with the club and next wednesday i'll fly to Poland to fight on the last orienteering race this season with my club mates on Polish Champioship Relay!

Check results of Salomon Mountain Race here

Still...WOC

A bit late but I hope still on time, I writte here about my woc races - most positive and negative thinghs to get from this championships.

Middle Distance

This wasn't my main goal for this championship. Always the gap fom first to the 15th is very thigh and my preparation wasn't for this kind of distance...mainly I ran it because I was the only portuguese women on the field and also because some notices from previous trainings showed that some race before the important one should be really good for my feelings - physically and mentally. But now I realize that maybe something to think about, is to choose the races we should be on top and let the really good runners run the 3qualification races and relay.

I started at the same minute of my friend Hanna and, magically, we punched the last control at the same second...it was such a feeling when your training partner and so good friend is that «close» from you on such a competition. Sprinting to the finish with Hanna was great! Unfortunately both of us lost our chances on 4th control and also running speed wans't enough fast to be on a final I think. Mostly I didn't made big mistakes, but I wasn't fast enough.

Long Distance

Long distance was, for sure, the race I felt better prepared and mentally stronger to run. I started very focused, condifent and when I put my feet on this forest I felt so light and strong! I saw the left route choice and start running on the path. Quickly I was already on the first reentrance, run on the same contour level and start running up on the stones...one two three and I beat my knee on a stone, lost my balance and felt down on this stony reentrance till I stop on the bottom of it. Wow! I have such a big pain on my head, neck and knee that for some seconds I thought if it was possible to move...Yes I can stand up but move my leg is really difficult. Well, as you can imagine my concentration and motivation when downhill too...I was running so slowly and painfully. I finished race as best as I could. Our coach went with me to the ambulance and when doctor realize about what happened with me in the forest I went to the hospital on the ambulance. I was feeling ok but suddenly I felt asleep that for sure wasn't a good sign of my neurological state. I just remember to wake up on the Miskolc hospital where I made cranial, cervical and abdominal CT (yes...spleen rupture was a differencial diagnosis!). Doctor recomend me take big rest and some painkillers. Some accidents like those need 3weeks of full rest as I heard after.

I think it's nonsense to make a deep analyse of my orienteering after beating with my beat from 10m high...

Sprint Distance

Two days after we had sprint race and according to the doctor I shouldn't run it. But as I wrotte here before, this moment I was much more a runner than a medical student! After such good preparation I couldn't just stand watching the others running. I decided to run sprint and take my last chance for this championship. Right or wrong I was on the start line decided to fight for a place on the final. I started really bad as you can see beneath, and after first control I knew I had to run so very fast and without mistakes to reach such goal. Everything went fast and perfect till spectators control. I was on my limit, my vision was blured and I had the feeling that I could fall down at some moment.I was on the final as I see now on the split times.I wasn't enough healthy and the last controls were the hell. In fact, even now, I don't know how I ran these last controls...as some told me, I felt down on the finish line. I just remember to wake up on the ambulance again. I heard the doctor saying I'm crazy and unconsciousness...3 weeks she said loudly!

Friends

The best thingh of this championship was the ambience we lived there. Portuguese team isn't the queen of medals on WOC, but for sure when we talk about good ambience for sure we would be one of the most feared teams.

Also the support that I got from my family and coach was extremely important and here I say to all of them THANK YOU SO MUCH! And finally a big hug of friendship to my polish friends that were like a «mum» to me on such championships. DZIENKUJE BARDZO! :):)

Strongest woc team;)

Ah! By the way, now I took good rest and feel healthy again. Besides this woc were a personal disaster I learnt a lot during all the preparation and my motivation is on the top again!

so close...and so far

well, what to say?? i'm absolutly speachless...today's sprint qualification was a dream till spectators control and nightmare after it. I missed quite much to the first control, but then i decided to ran as fast i could to reach the final. I felt my skin on forest, i ran on my maximum. I really did it! And after spectators control, after such nice speed,any mistakes, so nice split times after huge mistake to first, i was on 15 place. The door to the final was opened...but my health wasn't good enough. After falling down on stony ground, beating with my head and back on a stony reentrance on long qualification, i was forbiden by doctors to ran. Of course I know what a doctor should say, but i'm much an athlete right now than a doctor. Who could just stand looking others running qualification with the feeling that, for sure, you would be on final? Well, so what I can say more? Three controls from the end I've just collapsed, I was dizzy and ready to fall down in a moment...I ran like stupid, trying just to finish my race and go to final. It was hard to read map, read where were my controls, where to go...Even now I really dont remember anything about this part of race. For sure it wasn't me this time...And again on finish line I overpassed my health possibilities to be awake and i just remember to wake up on the ambulance...again!
Now there's nothing to do. I hope I had a time machine to go back and be healthy to ran long and sprint. Ok, I know that it was good to be so close from final, it was much better than last years. But man, I WAS NOT in the final. That was my goal. I can be on my best shape ever, for sure i am, i could have top10 split times, but unfortunatly good runners aren't those who are good on trainnings, who are on good shape, who have 15place on spectators controls...
That's life!

Camp in mountains - take 2

My stay in Poland gott a great finish as I learnt how to navigate on slopes, run same countour controls and, mostly to do orienteering with general and big features.
After 10 days running on south west of Poland, and a weekend on lovely Wroclaw, we packed our stuff and travelled towards the south east of Poland, to a small village, Limanowa, where small orienteering treasures where waitting for us. In fact, it was really challenging for me to re-set my orienteering technique for such terrain. We notice this in May, during Limanowa Cup that my technique on slopes and big hills was really poor. But fortunatelly I can say, now, that during this camp I made big improvements on such type of terrain! This week of orienteering was really important for me.!

Camp in mountains - take 1

W dzemie siła drzemie :) jam is like fuel for runners :):) This I learnt on last camp with coach Kajo in Polish mountains. For so tough trainings, jam is your best friend ;)
During nine days of camp (2nd July - 10th July), I did 15 trainings and about 18hours of running. Most of training were to improve strenght, power and a bit my speed on mountain terrain. Uphill intervals on tough forest was the hardest training and second level 6x8min my favorite:) Running intervals on though forest was really nice too, specialy if you got lost after 3minutes running like a wild animal on unknown forest;) But well, I simply love this forest and this mountains, so every training here is great!
Besides training, there was also two afternoons of rest to visit some very nice places and have some fun. We visited Karpacz, very nice village in mountains, where I almost died on a crazy roller coaster:) It's great to feel the mountain ambience on such places! And also great, was to drink a lovely and delicious coffee expresso, like portuguese one, on a tipical mountain house in Jagniąntków.

What else...this weekend is mostly to take some rest and recharge batteries for next camp in Limanowa, which starts next monday. Tomorrow I hope to find some time to visit Wroclaw and maybe to do some shopping too;)

Tough terrain ;)

Me and coach

Flying ;)

June - our m-O-to

This is our national team, representing Portugal out boundaries on EYOC, JWOC and WOC. On beggining of June we had selection races on the north of Portugal, on our "big mountains" (baby mountains as you see on map below ;)
Well, pretty bad races for me...on sprint it was hard to see previously what to do next and "on-time" orienteering made my stupid race. Even though I won with some seconds ahead. I can't say the same about middle distance...My brain became lazy and probably my eyes too, as I lost about 15 minutes only on one control looking around on a stupid way, when I was 5 meters close from it. Disaster!
But mountain girl was ready to fight for a good race and on the day next I ran quite nice long distance. Still some mistakes appeared but after such bad races on the day before it tasted quite good.
Well, and some days after our names were on a list, and now our faces on this smily picture showing who we are :) " Crescer como grupo" is our moto, and translating, it means something like to grow as a group. That's the way we are working together and becoming better and better.! Well, and we can see very good results until now: 9th place on eyoc -sprint(Mariana Moreira W18), 11th place on jwoc-sprint(Diogo Miguel), 14th place on jwoc-sprint(Tiago Romao) and also Diogo and Tiago will be running on tomorow's jwoc A middle final.
Don't you believe there's still some relay medal for us out there? ;)

May - Pieces of reality

Stress is a big enemy. Sometimes I dive into it and it's hard to find a way out. On races I start nervous, thinking too much on what I should and shouldn't do and forget to run normally focused as I do. I got lost on stress. That's what happened on sprint national championship. Luckily we had two courses and on the second one I could reset my brain, found myself out of stress and be ready to fight hard. I ran very well, fast and almost without mistakes but not enhough to win the one minute lost in the morning. So I was second for 15".

Speechless. On the day next I ran middle distance national championship. I didn't like very much the terrain (a lot of paths and spipky green areas) and to find controls without flags. Althought I ran quite ok, I was speechless when I finished disqualified...

Friendship. After this bad race something much better was on the way...I took a flight to Poland and quickly I was on my second home, wroclaw :) It was very nice stay, to see coach, Hanna, Wojciechs and erasmus friends also. We ran 3 nice trainnings on mountain and run Limanowa Cup. I ran good sprint (1st) and quite good long distance (4th) but other races were better to forget as competitions but excelent as trainnings to learn about. Overall I was 3rd.
It was just amazing! I missed it for long time ;)

Suprise. Busy girls don't get nervous :) I had exam on saturday morning and after a few hours I was running absolut national championship qualification in the south of Portugal (ok..I know Portugal is not so that big ;) It was like running on sauna, under 36degrees...so I took it very easy to be healthy on the day next...cause final was a bit more serious business ;) I took it carefully on the beggining but after a while I was map making as map maker didn't do it so very well on this area.! It costed me about 4minutes and, in my mind,the chance of winning this championship...but big surprise was to finish race and know that I was the winner :):) cool ;)

My oasis

It seems strange to writte about May and June when I have much fresher news to tell... Last Wednesday I arrived to Poland, where I'll spend next 20 days. Here sun doesn't shine on portuguese way, and Gods seems to be fighting and angels be crying as I heard on yesterday's morning training. I ran 60' on second level speed, quite nice, specially because of the beauty of the nature surrounding me. Now I can't see snow here (like last time), but it's still beautifull and peacefull. Yesterday's afternoon, during training, I realize how though is this forest and how different it is from what we have in Portugal. It sounds music to my ears when I know that makes me stronger runner on mountain.
Today I'll run ans stretch a bit in the morning with my fingers crossed for my sister's race in EYOC. In th afternoon I hope to be full of joy to do some strenght and running technique training. Gooooo Portugal!!

April - TIOMILA? Yahoo :)

That was time to run one of the greatest and most exciting o-event in the world, Tiomila- relay. Yippee:) For the first time I ran that relay and I must say that it was the best ever event where I ran! I've got the pleasure to run the last long leg and all went fine. 9,5km on swedish terrain didn't seem pretty easy, but that 10mila terrain suited me well and I could put the finishing touches...we got 10 places better ;)

Well, but April wans't a fairy tail and big examination on the end of the month almost killed me. Luckily, after some battles with big big books I survived and it's possible to say that I manage with the situation very well:)

Besides that, we started to have national team trainning camps! It's simply delicious to see that finally we have a «TEAM» and everybody is working very motivated and positive mind.Our two camps were blessed with sunny days, great ambiance and hard working! But, hey, candies taste much better after though work;)

(April: 14h I level;60' II level;56' III level;40' strenght;2h gym;8h map)

March - Right Direction

March was time to prove myself that I can do my orienteering well enough to be satisfied. February wasn't easy month...I came back from Poland, I got anemia and first competitions were not good. Everything didn't just go according to my plans. I had difficulties with my attitude and I wasn't feeling like competing at all. So I was beaten by myslef and others too.
But March brought me faster trainnings and more orienteering competitions. March: 12,5h I level ; 50' II level; 30' III level; 2h strenght; 3h map; 2h gym

Then long national championship was coming and I decided to take revanch of myself, even though I had to manage with a lot of work on university. I wasn't pretty confident before the start and decided to just orienteer well. So, surprise, surprise, I made a nice competition and my legs were working quite well. I took the golden place and first long distance title on elite class. nice :)

So, maybe I wasn't so bad at all, and all my trainnings were going on the right direction :)

Long distance national championship (map)

Back on business :)

After some months with «empty» blog, I decided to refresh it and...here it is! My new blog where you'll find news about me and my adventures on competitions, trainnings and university maybe:)

As I didn't writte so much about the present season, on the next days I'll writte a kind of diary of the last months of trainnings and competitions! ;)

Hope you like it! Enjoy;)