f r e e - F A L L

That's the moment when you uncomfortably feel different, but in fact don't realize big changes or big moves... but slowly you're going down, down, down...During the last month I've been feeling tiredness, exhaustion, some apathy during racing and running the toughest trainings but in fact couldn't find a reason why. Maybe too much work/travel/training...? but even after one week of light training regeneration last weekend I couldn't race as usual...I felt I was just runing on the forest and not fighting to do my best.. running on the same speed as a turtle. Something should be wrong I thought! And easily with a blood sample I realize my hemoblogin was only 10,3 g/dl and my hematocrit 30%...

Well, now that's the moment when I realize I was free falling. Slowly, just watching the view, watting that the parachute opens! It seemed everything was going easily on the right direction with my training - no injuries, just a small cramp on the right leg sometimes...and now I've got this friendly anemia.We never know what is just behind the corner right? Now it's time to rise head and recover as fast as possible!!!

I would also call a "free fall" to the mistake I did on sunday long distance. After 9 controls I did, maybe, the biggest mistake over the last years. Around 10min on a paralell mistake of course took me out from the lead and totally devastated my motivation to run the rest of controls.... here is the jewel:

Long

Middle

Long and wet

And so, last WRE held in Portugal this season was brilliant. Looong, hard and demanding, both technically and physically, great arenas and overall organization. Besides tricky and tough course, the rainy days gave some help and made it even harder, as all the hard, grassy and fast ground become wet, soft and tough. 13,4km, a long leg with about 3,7km easily become the hardest long distance race I ever ran in Portugal. It's a pitty that we don't run so often this races in Portugal and clubs don't plan courses like that.
Personally, I was pretty disappointed with my technical performance as I made a lot of mistakes (around 12 minutes), but physically I felt fine and able to keep a good pace during all the race. Happily I finished 5th and made by best score at a WRE. Map here

A part of the WRE, on saturday it was held a nice middle distance - quite easy on the beggining and tricky on the last part. On the start I was feeling very tired and with a huge headache as I only had 4h of sleep!!! (long journey from Porto to Arraiolos on the night before). During all the race I felt heavy and slow running and my technique wasn't so good as I would like for a middle distance. Map here

Luckily I spent a very nice time during the weekend with my swedish club -SNO. Next goal is Tiomila and I'm really looking forward to run my first race on SNO blue and yellow colours :)

No POM for me this year :(

Since 2002 I've been running POM...but this year, unfortunately I couldn't take part:( Work at the hospital on monday didn't allowed me to run the WRE and during the other days I couldn't take part of the organization because of work too (my club was the organizing team). It seems it was a huge top level orienteering festival.Congratulations to GD4caminhos that did an excelent job!
Well, and around here my training is going quite ok. Besides my weekly 40h of work at the hospital and thursdays 12h work on the ER, I can manage to do 2 good training sessions per week and of course. I overpass some flu, cramp on right leg...and for now everything seems to be ok.
Last weekend I ran a nice orienteering competition - middle distance in the morning and night relay on the evening.In the morning it was very messy and lost so many seconds on several mistakes...luckily I was the one who miss less and got the victory.

At night relay it was great fun!! As the last runner and because my team was a bit too late I had to start on a mass start. I was on the leading group to the first control but after a while on the way to the second control I found myself alone on the dark forest.Everything went well (according to my experince on night orienteering!!) on the dark long 7km with very interesting final part: at the espectators control I was just 20'' bahind the leading group. After two controls on the forest I was able to get the lead but in the end I wasn't enough fast to run 200m on track to beat these men. I was happy and tired. I just love the feeling ;)

When the doctor become the patient

The daily life of a doctor at the pediatric hospital is like survinging on a jungle. You are surrounded by thousand of virus and bacteria that can catch you anytime... and easily you become the patient :) There're two weeks I've been feeling weaker, coughing and sneezing (without fever), but last week I couldn't hold it and got a terrible flu. I'm still recovering and hoping to be better for next weekend competition. I'll run a mixed night relay, 6 runners from different categories that starts at 4pm...I'll run the last course (7km) by night and I'm really looking forward for it!! Till saturday I have to keep killing my virus but it won't be that easy...tomorrow I'll have 12h work at the E.R. and friday still 8 hours to work. That's my work, my passion and I'm happy with my job. Children are lovely and it's very rewarding work :)

Who is the boss?

The human body is complex. To walk, to eat, tu run, to do eveything in our lifes, our brain sends a message to all the rest of our body (many synapses involved and all a big story between) and it answers to our brains request. So it's easy to understand who's the boss between all this: Mr. Brain!!! So, when your brain is not on the best shape it doesn't matter if your legs are stronger than ever... the boss don't let you do what you want. That's what happened to me last weekend competitions... the boss was mad so the poor legs weren't allowed to do the right job.

Plan: give some rest to the boss and keep killing the legs ;)

Let's get it started!

Last weekend portuguese orienteering season started with a nice competition at Coruche. The terrain was soft and nice, perfect to warm up the engine and spice my training motivation.
My brain and legs are still adapting to the «orienteering mode» and I felt some problems during racing, mainly about the speed on the middle distance, lack of confidence when approaching the controls and direction skills.
I feel happy to be back on business ;)

Maps: middle and long

Results middle:

1- Saila Kinni 29:08

2- Kristin Lofgren 33:56

3- Maria Sá 36:04

4- Mariana Moreira 36:23

5-Andreia Silva 39:01

Results long:

1- Saila Kinni 1:01:39

2- Kristin Lofgren 1:10:46

3- Maria Sá 1:11:22

4- Andreia Silva 1:12:21

5- Mariana Moreira 1:13:56

Tell me quando quando quando

While some discuss the future of orienteering in Portugal, others keep training hard like the future is setted on the safest routes. It's a way to face the sad moment portuguese orienteers are living. I would say that right now, orienteering in Portugal «is lost»! Orienteers don't know when or where (or IF) will run international races, selection races and so on.

So, the best to do is keep training and fighting for our personal goals for 2011... (just hope our federation take us to the right place to make it possible). This time I spent a few days at Norte Alentejo, on a training camp organized by GD4caminhos and Ori-Estarreja clubs. 4 days, 8 orienteering trainings and the goals for the camp were achieved. It's fantastic that now these two clubs train together finally I can participate on nice training camps from time to time.

Even being on a dark shadow I keep my fingers crossed for a bright sun for the portuguese orienteering... cause WE ALL deserve it.
Happy New Year!