Spring 2012

It has been a while since my last post - more than 4 months! That is partly due to work/training etc, but mostly down to laziness.But now it seems like I have some time to write as am sat in bed with flu.

Since Kenya the main themes have been:

• Managing my calf injury, which has meant no fast running on flat even surfaces (even grass brings on pain and tightness), regular massage and acupuncture, and, most disappointingly, no sprint orienteering. Therefore all of my faster training sessions have been either in forest, or uphill (which seems to be ok).
• Nice training camp in Spain (Alicante) with the Hungarian national team. Mixture of gorgeous sand dunes, interesting mountain terrain, and really rocky coastal terrain which I can't say I enjoyed too much.
• Sickness. In the beginning of March I got a stomach bug/virus which completely knocked me out for a couple of weeks (causing me to miss GB students champs), and since seems to have caused me a lot of problems. At first, when I started training again, I felt really run down and flat in trainings. I could not get my heart rate up, and could not push myself at all. I had blood tests, but nothing was found, so I just rested. After that my body has been quite up and down - I have managed a couple of good races, including at Masenstafetten where I had the fastest time on last leg, but also some which felt really bad, like Kolmardskavlen where I started last leg in the lead, and despite making no mistakes, had no power at all when Olle Bostrom flew past me.
• Training for Tiomila with SNO. I went down 3 times to run in the Tiomila terrain, but I can't say that much of it turned out to be very relevant for my actual race. Due to my injuries and illness, I didn't manage to show much form before Tiomila, so I was given the 7th leg - 7km and straight. I did the best I could do though, winning my leg (actually one guy was faster, but he started 7s after me and finished 3s after me, and was in front for 1 control when I hesitated in the circle - so I think I had the moral victory at least). Unfortunately, it wasn't a great SNO performance, and we ended up a disapointing 9th place.
• EOC. After Tiomila I was geared up for EOC - I had started to feel quite good again in my running.and was looking forward to Dalarna terrain. I had been up for one training camp and enjoyed the forests around Mora. 2 days after Tiomila I had a sore throat though. I rested, and travelled up to Mora, but my cold got worse and worse each day. I tried to run the middle qualifier, knowing I would have some rest before the final and relay, but it was a mistake, and so after the race I went home and stayed in bed the rest of the week.
• WOC test races. After EOC I started feeling better again, and was more motivated than ever to prepare for WOC. I started training again slowly and cautiously. Unfortunately, Fanni came back from EOC with the flu, and so I was also trying hard to not get that. I felt good for about 10 days, but then last Monday I didn't feel great again, Tuesday I had a sore throat, Thursday I had a cold, and now I am in bed with flu, when I should be in Scotland taking part in the WOC test races. I am lucky that I am in a position that I will probably make the WOC team on past form, but that does not change that I would like to be there racing and being able to choose what I would like to run at WOC.

So what now? I have to take a really good look at my life and see what I can change to try and stay healthy, and combine that with work and preparations for WOC. At least when you are injured you can cross train - being sick is far worse in my opinion - you feel so helpless. WOC and SM last year feel a long time ago...

Watch my tiomila tracking here

I have been writing in my training diary almost every day here

I have a map archive here, but I haven't been very good at updating it, but I promise to try harder