Here we go again

The last few week went pretty well and i continued to earn hours and basic training with some fast speed. The feeling was very good and my body felt strong until last friday when I felt my leg hurt...  Surprisingly it was (again) the same injury as I had in 2009 and 2012. The day after on Saturday I ignored it and still did my training in the morning but I felt worse afterwards and the pain got stronger. Unfortunately I understood that this horrible injury is back. The inflamation was a result of the pronation inside of my leg and there was also some blood inside. This injury is called Shinsplit...

I tought that maybe it is some small problem but I felt the pain also when was resting, so I had no other option but to stop running since Sunday.
There is a long way to get my health back, but this time luckily I know that I cant go back to the track before i feel 100% better and no pain. I guess it will be between 14-30 days without running and maybe even more according to my feeling and I have no alternative but to be optimisic.
In the case that i can't run i will still continue my training with relevant excercise to stay in shape, maybe not to improve but to not loose everything. My training will be swimming, running in deep water, Ellipti and bike. It will be very boring to make these trainings in a closed room but shit happens. I am already really waiting to go out and run again as soon as possible, at least I will refule my passion for running and orienteering in this time...

Back to the base

During the last few weeks the weather in Israel became ideal for trainings, around 15-28 degrees, which made the training pleasurable to run.

At this time of the year there is almost only basic trainings and long runs around the forest near my house, 3km away. The forest is getting greener because of the hard rain last week and the ground is getting softer and i just enjoy it.

The last league competition went well, i did a good run with 2:30 minutes of mistakes which is quite good for me, of course i always look for a perfect race which didnt happen yet..

I felt good during the race physically and i was able to push hard in the flat forest but in the really steep side of the map i was a bit weak with the uphills, maybe i was saving too much power for the rest of the race.

The course was very demanding and had some intersting route choices. The weather was a bit cloudy and rainy and that gave a European feeling in the forest. Some parts of the forest were very stony in areas that were marked as a white forest and were hard to cross. 

Today i took part in the Junior o-championship. I decided to run and check the course before the start window for the childrens.

The course was quite nice and in a very challenging terrain which was very stony and had lots of bushes which were very hard to cross.

I had a good start and only once got into some trouble in a bushy area near the 5th control. On the 16th control i mad a big mistake and didnt manage to find the objects on the map in the terrain, maybe becuase there were much more holes than what was marked and i lost about one minute there.

In the next two weeks will focus on long and easy running, I must earn some hours and build my body for the main events of the season.

Long time not see..

Long time passed since i was writing a post, actually my passion to orienteering go deep deep down.

After a long period in europe last spring and summer i was very not satasfied with my preformence at Woc, after that i was just without energy during a crazy summer in Israel around 28-42 dagrees all the time-Israel Sauna.
some fresh news that i was changed my israeli club to a new club Emek Hefer O.C, after a long period in my previuse club i decided to change the enviroment and decide to take a part in a club who put the main goal to be proffesional like Scandinavian clubs, what we dont have in Israel yet.

all my summer thinking was about what is my next goals in my orienteering career becouse i am not satasfied about my results and know i can do much better, all summer i was thinking where i am going to, first option to quite and finnish to try push harder and secound option was to see whats the problem and solve them in helping from out of the box.

On september i booked a flight for short training camp to Latvia and visit some good friends, i was decide to find someone to open my mind how to improve myself and get fresh ivformation about how to make my goal.

my friend Davis which is become my new coach had a idea to meet Martins Sirmais and i was exciting about it and decide to open my box and Martins talks with me about the theory of all about the trainings, i got some basic information about all about trainings and how should i do it well and effective. 

After this meeting and talking with my new coach we were decide to start work together to do best is possible in winter trainings which is already start, so i bought a HeartRate polar watch and this time i will keep the HR very close to my attention, one of my biggest faoult in the last years trainings.

Winter trainings already started and the feeling a bit strange and not what i am usually training, very slow pace and watching all the time my HR, strange trainings, Phartlek trainings.

All the starting points are very hard and to change a routine is even more harder but this is really my last chance to get my goal in orienteering career, i dont know how it will goes but i am giving all myself for it.

Last monthes goes ok, just normal life which is not for me i prefer activity life with diffrent things everyday but until December i will study QA checking system.

In the coming month January, February and Mars i will get a nice company with good friends from Europe which is cancell my plane to make a winter training camp in Portugal.

Israel orienteering season already started two weeks ago, the main goal for the winter in February is MCO which is held in Israel, i am really motivated to compete for the first time in netionality competition on home grownd. this year i will focus on base trainings.

And now i will enjoy my best weather in winter in all Europe to train- in Israel- 15-28 dagrees.

The final countdown - WOC

Last Saturday i arrived in Israel after a very long period in europe, i got a warm weather welcome, but basically its not that hot, in August it will be even warmer.

After a long period that my body was used to be in a normal temperature i met the hot weather face to face and i was looking for a hard week and final preparation for WOC.

Luckily my body felt ok in that hard week of preparation with lots of training,unfortunately all the training was just running without orienteering training because the forest has very sticky bushes everywhere. Also, the timetable for training was totaly different.. morning training start at 6:00 and evening training at 18:30, it is too hot to train in the middle of the day.

Now i am sitting in the air conditioner and just spending some time with psychological preperition for WOC with some simulations for all the distances. one more sprint training for the final preperition on Tuesday and a good rest before the competition of the year starts.

I will run all the distances in WOC, but this time there is quite a good resting time between the races because we dont have a team for sprint relay and that means that i have 4 days to get ready for the Long distance and then one day off to recover for Middle.

My personal feeling is good for this main event of the year, my shape is much better then EOC in april and i am looking to see what i can do.
this year i was running a lot of competitions and training in Europe and i feel much more ready then in last years.

On Thursday morning we will start the journey to Italy and already on Saturday the first race will start. looking for a great experience.
Let's get it started!!!

Koupio Jukola

Last weekend i was running in Jukola, it was my third Jukola (2011,2013) and i was still very exciting. i was selected to run in the Finnish club Koovee in the second team in the last leg.

Two days before the competition i ran a model training near the Jukola map, i was a student of a club mate Topias, he showed me how to use the  compass, big thanks to him! i got fely very comfortable with the compass work afterwards.

A day before Jukola i ran the training near the arena, the terrain was very tough, similar to Tampere, and very challenging. i  got an impression that this Jukola will be extremely challenging and tricky.

I started my leg with a top 80 position together with the first Koovee team (they were disqualified) and some other runners. i was quite alone from the first control and tried to focus on not making mistakes and to run on the top of the hills where is it quite open and runnable.

On the 6th control i met the first team runner from Koovee and ran with him and with two more runners together until the 9th control.

On the 10th control i got a forking control and made a little mistake and "said goodbye" to the group and lost them.

Until the 16th control i was running alone and i lost some time in the green areas, i wasn't aggressive enough. i was just trying not to make any mistakes.

I was catching a few slow runners and ran away from them until the 17th control and then i ran very good until the end.

The terrain was extremely challenging, very demanding and very slippery, in the second half of the course i lost my pace and ran much slower.

After a long period in Finland i learned a lot and had a legendary time with my Finnish club Koovee, Tampere is definitely an orienteering capital in Finland.

After the competition i took a bus directly to Riga and after 16 hours i was in Riga.

Now some easy training in the next few days and on Wednesday and Thursday some orienteering trainings.

On Friday unfortunately i am leaving back to Israel after 78 days of many many many training and competitions, but hey not for a long time, 12 days of final preparation for WOC in Italy are looking for me in the Israeli mountains and i will be on the road again!

But now i am waiting for Friday, home sweet home! :D

Many training and competitions

Last week i had a great opportunity to train on soma high quality maps, first on Monday i ran in Iltarastit becuase the training place was very near to my place.

the map looked quite old but it was a nice terrain.

On Wendsday i ran in a local training in Tampere, only contours.

I really enjoyed the training, i guess it was the best training this year by far. the map was extremly good and challenging.

On Friday and Saturday i ran in Tampere Games in Sprint and Middle.

In the sprint i made big mistake to the 3rd control, i didnt know exactly where was the control.

To the 4th control i crossed a bush in the green place that was forbidden. I actually lost my count of buildings when i crossed this place but in the green area there was no bush, in the map its looks very uncrossable but in reality there was almost nothing. but this is the sprint rules and i need to learn and accept them.

In the rest of the course i ran quite good with a small mistake to 15 control, then i was caught by the runner who started 1 minute after me, this time it was the world champion :D

On Suterday i ran in middle distance competition in Hardcore Tampere terrain, soft ground and a lot of fallen trees.

i ran good until the 4th control but then made mistakes in 4th and 5th control and then i felt very heavy, out of energy. until the 6th control i felt very bad and then i decide to try to push but i was totally out of energy and the terrain was very hard to run which didnt help me so much. on the 14th control i did a 2 minute mistake because i didn't realised the green borders.

Today i ran in Forssa Games, i had some problems to 2th control and to 5th control that take me to much time.

Now i will take it easy in the next week because this is Jukola on the weekend and i am feeling quite tired in the last days, the main competition of the year. i will run in the second team for Koovee in the last leg.

Tampere Life Style

Last weekend i had a lot of activities here in Tampere. My main trainings in this week: up hills training, Sprint training and middle distance competition on Sunday.

Since i arrived in Finland i tried to work on my orienteering technic system. In my own technic it is also possible to go around, but in Finland it is definitely different.. the best route choice is always on the line.

Today in the middle distance competition, i was expecting to check my performance, my legs were fresh and i was ready for some Rock N Roll. My Tactic was to take it easy at the beginning and try to feel and find my way to the controls. Unfortunately it was quite a disaster, i made at least a 4 minute mistake to the 1st control. I lost contact with the top of the hill and went too much to the north, my compass and connection with the map failed. What i can say is only Shit happens and i need to learn every time - "Its not about how many times you fail, its about how many times you keep going".

After that big mistake i made a 20 seconds mistake to the second control and a compass mistake to the 3rd control. To the 4th control i chose to run from the road - it was a mistake..

From that point in the course i had a good feeling and i tried to push hard and i was able to read the map in the right way and made a solid run to the end.

One thing i will take from this competition is to take it very easy at the beginning of the race, use compass and check it all the time and remember the main words of this post - straight is the best route choice, at least in Finland.

Last week went well with good trainings and good progress Including Sprint orienteering training and training in Lukonmaki hill, i will visit it now every week for some up hills sessions - Specific and Special training for Italy.

what next?

Next week is going to be busy and fun, Inov Trail Run 7k in Souljarvi and three days competitions in Tampere games - Sprint, Middle and long.

 

Fishing time

Summer days and one good news

In the last days in Tampere the Temperatures were extremely higher, around 30-33 Celsius, the traditional way is to spent time in sun on the beach, jump to the cold lake and eating Grill especially sausage. smell and feeling like a holiday basically this is Finland and i really like it!

Today afternoon i compete in Tampereen Iltarastit, evening competition system in Tampere region. The terrain was runnable and quite good visibility. 

Luckily this time i had almost no mistakes, some few of 5-10 seconds but no more then 30 seconds in total. 

 

Today i got more motivaition to continue my trainings and even train harder, the  massage came from the Israeli orienteering association chairmen that i will represent Israel in WOC 2014 in Italy. 

On 2008 i took a part in training camp in this area and i am remember very clear the hills, then now its time to meet every single hill in Tampere.

 

Finland championship - Middle championship

On Friday i was traveling to Lappeenranta, Finnish city near the Russian border, on the plane was  Finland championship in Middle distance, qualification in the morning and 2 hours later the final, busy day but this is the new Finnish standard.

After a long trip from Tampere on Friday evening we arrived in Lappeenranta and goes to Model event, some ideas what looking for the competition terrain.

I ran some controls and got impression from the terrain, low visibility, wet marshes and a lot of trees on the ground - Finnish forest typical. Pure orienteering.

first start for the middle qualification, luckily i got a good start lists because the rules as changed in Finland and now its according the WRE.  

in the beginning of the race i decide to take it easy then i ran easy to the first control, to the secound control my plane was to make this leg from the right of the line but planes as changed then i was climbing to the control. 1 minute mistake.

5th control i did good until the circle, i saw another control and i decided to check the code, then i go back to my control - non confident mistake. 20S' mistake.

7th control i ran it quite well, but approx 40 meters before the control i didn't understand the cliffs and found another control on the hill. 1 minute mistake.

until the end i was pushing hard but its to much 2:30 minutes mistake for Final A.

this performance gave me only a 27th place. 25:33 minutse for 4.1K.

If i will realize my result for Israeli level its mean excetly 6 minutes per kilometer, in Israel it can be defiantly crazy result but in Finland its another level.

  

After the first races in the morning, two hours later was another run- the finals competition, FinalB2. 

 start the race good until 3th control but then i made 3 minutes mistake to 4th control and lost all my motivation and hot weather - 30 Celsius- also not helped it so i decide just to enjoy the amazing terrain and in the same time i felt very tired :D

So what next?
In the next days i will try to gain some more hours in Finnish terrain, next competition is Ikaalinen middle distance on Sunday.

Orienteering Skills

When i met for the first time Finnish terrain, somewhere in 2011, i had a lot of afraid about my skills level, if they are good enough?, yeah this time in 2011 it was bad very bad.

Today afternoon i made a nice training in Tampere, Middle distance course and basically a model event for the weekend ahead - Finnish championship in Middel distance.

While the race the feeling was good, didnt push hard because i wanted to feel the map and soft and rocky ground. the course went quite well except 9th control, there was a big Marsh and i didnt found big Marsh on the map, on the map it was white flat forest. anyway i trust my comass and go to the other side. some minute of mistake one more littel mistake was in the 6th control i came to the other side of the hil and fix it quickly.

On Saturday i will compete in Finnish middel distance championship, really looking for it!

   

10Mila 2014

three weeks ago i heading to Sweden to compete in 10Mila, personality i never been in that famous orienteering event, i have been only twice in Jukola.

one week befor the competition i got a news that i will run the last leg for the first team in Koovee club, i felt a big responsible and also a pressure because this is a strong team but i know that is a big challenge for me and i can make my best .

we were in a Cottage house near the competition center and i was watching the competition until the thierd leg and then i checked my luck if it is possible go to sleep, ok i slept like a baby :D

i started my run with some 2-3 more runners but i ignored them, although i made a mistake already in he first control but fix it quickly.

to the 4th control i took a compass in the green area to the hill and i got a wrong conrol buy i know where i am and go to the right control then.

7th control we where 5 runners and i saw there is a forking, i push hard that controls but i saw the group off from the 9th control and i tried to push harder.

only in 15th control i catched them and took a better rout choice to the road and i was ahead of them in 10 secounds and i pushed harder all the next control then along.

in20th control i saw another control and i knows its not mine then i saw my control in the stones.

in the last control i didnt saw the road near the fence and i decide to run between the cliffs, i lost 15 secounds there and one runner pass me and it was to late

.

my race was quite good, quite satisfied, i was trying to be safety with my run and not to make big mistakes and it works well.

  

      

Welcome back

To long time since i was writing something in my old blog, then i decided to update it with a google system.

last one a half month i was taking part in EOC  in Portugal the first goal of this year and directly after that i was heading to Latvia for a training camp and a several of competitions: Riga cup, Latvian night championship, Latviaan championship in Sprint and Long and some local competitions as well. in addition i also compete at Tiomila in Sweden, i was able to run last leg for Koovee first team.

last Monday i was arriving in Finland for a middel distance championship in this weekend, my plane is to train and get ready for the main competition of the year- Jukola, for that i plane to train with Koovee club in Tampere until then.

since now i will update some news from time to time about my preparation for my next goal Jukola.