April has been a true rollercoaster for me. From Strömstad’s high to Stockholm's low. At the end of March everything was looking very good. I had managed to battle against injuries and illnesses and was looking forward to the season opening. I had done good runs in small local events and was feeling optimistic.
On the first week of April we did a great trip to the west coast with a few girls from Linné to prepare ourselves for the coming WOC. It felt good to get back to those heavy terrains around Strömstad and feel a flow(!) this time. Last time I was there it was really hard for me to get any speed in those terrains but this time it felt a whole lot easier. So something must have gone right during the winter. In the middle of all fun I sprained my ankle in one training and couldn’t run the races we had planned to do in the weekend. I went and picked up my race maps, got good practise in difficult route choices, and ran around the courses but couldn’t risk racing. My ankle wasn’t really up for that and I had more important races coming up, such as Swedish League and EOC selection races.
Apart from the sprained ankle I was very happy with the training camp and thought I had trained smart there, but conditions were wet and cold and I managed to pick up a flu when I got back home. It’s seldom I’m sick for over a week but this time it was a nasty infection that put me aside for several weeks. That meant no Swedish League races for me. A week after there was sprint and middle selection races in Finland. I wasn’t well enough for the sprint but was hoping for to be able to run the middle a few days later. Unfortunately I wasn’t 100% well on the day of the middle distance either and not really ready to race but since it was my only chance I decided to give it a go. Very stupid decision. I felt absolutely horrible and it took me a while to find a speed but I did a decent run technically with only a few small mistakes. I finished 11th, a bit over 3min behind Emily Kemp, but since my EMIT decided to die during the race, I didn’t get a result. So all effort for nothing. But hey, the good thing was that I wasn’t better than that. Had I been higher up in the results, the EMIT thing would have bothered me more. GPS tracking from the middle distance
However, running the middle distance race as convalescent meant that I got sick again and wasn’t able to run the long distance a week later. Again, I was hoping for the best and travelled there for the race but my body wasn’t ready for a long distance. So, that’s it for my EOC dreams. On the other hand, after being sick more or less for a month now, and missing all training, I wouldn’t be ready for any championships anyway. So, obviously I’m gutted to miss all the fun, but also relieved that now I have plenty of time to get well and no need to deliver results when out of shape. I’ll be back when well again…
Some motivational pictures from Strömstad...
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| My favourite gym! |
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| This is why I orienteer! |
