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!!