Thea Lillehov

Last posting long time ago, but time was rare the last weeks and sometimes you just need to prioritize. Which might mean spending less time in internet or not cleaning the flat for weeks or being forced to be satisfied with mini-trainings squeezed in between a dozen other need-to-be-done-things. Overall it means stress, which again means, that I am very happy that this period is gone and finished! Yiihaa!
But everything in turn..

First it was the World Cup in FInland. Having spent the weekend with exam preparation classes, I travelled directly from there to Helsinki and then further to Salo. Traveling wasn't hard, but my mind was set on the exams, not on the W.C. Running the model event I managed to stay focused for the whole course, which made my optimistic against the middle distance. This kind of orienteering is something that I know how to do and I normally enjoy this kind of running. Well, I did that in the middle distance too...until shortly before the second control. I was 100% secure where I was and went to the knoll where the flag should be. It was there, but I was unable to recognize it. I did not understand the world at all anymore and started a searching action that I will not forget that soon... (see last blog post: gps-tracking). 8 minutes spent on searching - probably new, negative record. For the rest of the competition I was running like a beginner, absolutely useless and not able to pull my self together. I also did the big mistake trying to follow what "everybody else" said the day before: use the compass pedantically. Pretty stupid, since I normally run almost without using the compass.. Trying out new things should be done in training, not at the World Cup.. Better to just forget that day.

Sprint qualification on the next day. Goal: keep my mind focused on orienteering, running what the legs can bare. Goal clearly failed. Hmm... Last year I did really good sprints, this one was just bad, which was pretty frustrating. Some smaller mistakes, one decisive route choice wrong (ok, I do love running uphill, but it was clear that with my instantaneous shape, it would be faster to run around the big hill instead of over it. Hah, guess what I did..). With legs and lungs heavy as lead, it was the slowest sprint ever. The only good thing about it was that my trigeminal nerve did survive its first 20 minutes of asphalt running since mid-March.

The days between WC and Jukola I spent visiting Hanna in Helsinki and at their family cottage nearby Mikkeli. I spent a lot of time studying biomechanics, but did also get time for sauna and a very short swim in the "refreshing" (brrrr!!!) lake. Even if my mind was set on exams, my body did regenerate well. This time I was not in Västeraas first relay team and for once, I was happy with that, since my shape was miles away from good. But, I was set on the first leg in the second team, so no chance that it would be a lazy run . The weather was perfect, the forest cool and my mind stayed on orienteering all way through the course! Except for one short moment of fear, when I came to a wrong forking control (time loss 40''), the race was clean. I did not feel very strong, but it was ok, and I did not loose too much on the girls running my normal level. So, all in all a positive run. Afternoon was spent traditionally: cheering, food and sauna (autsch! that was the hottest one ever!) with the team girls.

Coming back to Austria late Sunday evening, I started to realize that the time until my upcoming exams (biomechanics, osteopathic techniques) was getting very, very short.. The week got completely filled with practical exercising, learning, reading and a good deal of panic.. Already Friday noon I headed off again, this time to Feldkirch, on the boarder to Switzerland, where the Austrian Sprint Champs and a Austria Cup were to take place. We spent the Saturday morning walking around in the city, even discussing route possibilities - and still I ran like a headless chicken! It started well, first 5 controls were good, then by running through a narrow passage in a brick wall I was almost run down by a Swiss junior, which made me hit the ground like a fallen fly. Well, it was a hard hit, but no excuse for choosing the obviously badest route choice down from the castle. Every child knows that running steps are slower than running on plane surface, but of course I had to test out if this is really, really true... The Austria Cup on the next day wasn't much better, no bite, no focus - next time better walk home than running so slow and inconsistent. For maps: Homepage Kerschi

Last week was spent completely on learning and on Thursday the D-Day came.. and passed, with me still alive. Both exams successfully passed and life back on normal tracks. Yiihaaaaaaaaa!!!!! After catching up on some sleep and nutrition I started to feel pretty fine again, actually better than since months. Strange how your mind can influence your body that brutal..

Running programm went on already Friday evening, with the night sprint at Thermenland Open (for maps etc: Thermenland Open). It was a really cool concept, with map change: from 1:5000 sprint map to 1:500 orient-show map. The only shadow was the organizers informing, that normal head lamps weren't really necessary, a small pezzl for mapreading would be enough. It wasn't at all enough, not only made it mapreading and running something between hard and impossible, but it was also dangerous, since you weren't able to see e.g metal grids laying on the ground.. My time loss, without mistakes, just due to the darkness reached appr. 3 minutes.. Still it was a cool concept, an interesting course and a nice atmosphere, so I hope there will be more out of this things!
Saturday it was time to run a long distance again and the good legs from the evening before where still there! This kind of forrest: detailed curves and diffuse vegetation in the flat areas suits me perfect and finally I had a good run again. At control 6 I missed 3 minutes, passing next to it without seeing the knoll, but for the rest it was ok. And more important was, that I was able to run with a good speed again! Being able to push again feels GOOD!!
Next days chasing start got a bit amputated, since Ursi, which was supposed to go out first, did not start due to a injury. I went out in first position, with 8 minutes margin to the next runner. I did a pretty clean run, except for one control where I lost 2 minutes searching on the wrong side of a gully. I mis-read the map there and it took some time to read me in again, but I could still take home the victory. Legs and lungs were good all way through, so it feels like I am on the right way now. Finally...

There are still 46 days till the WOC starts! Before the exams, time were flying, at the moment it is barely creeping, so it should be enough time to get in shape till the WOC starts! The plans are made, now the training just need to be done, which I am really looking forward to !