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!