Prisma-rastit (EOC-test for middle)

A competition in middle-distance was held on Thursday in Lohja (west of Helsinki). It was also EOC-test for middle, 2/4 Huippuliiga event and WRE. Route was first 5 km of “ordinary” middle-distance and then change of map to a last loop of 1,7 km forest-sprint on 1:5000 map. Totally 6,7 km. This was okay, but I think an EOC-test for middle shouldn´t have any sprint-moment in it. It´s just not relevant.
The terrain was quite nice offering different type of orienteering. Runnability was mostly good. A couple of steeper uphills and some green areas gave its ingredients.
My race started okay, thou I had to stop once before the first control to double-check. After a small mistake on the 3rd, 4th and 5th with a total of some 20 seconds I tried to rise my focus a bit. Maybe I was running little too fast into the ring. On the 8th I made my biggest single mistake when I went right in the end when I should have turned left, lost 30 – 40 seconds here. Rest of the course went as planned. In the end I was 8th and lost 1´13 to Jani Lakanen.

M21E (6,7 km)

1. Lakanen Jani VaajTe K-S 39.15
2. Airila Hannu KR S-K 39.16
3. Huovila Jarkko TP Häme 39.27
4. Muukkonen Petteri VeVe Kaak 39.32
5. Myllärinen Jani Koovee Häme 39.52
6. Fagerudd Kim PR V-S 40.01
7. Föhr Tero VeVe Kaak 40.05
8. Wickholm Jörgen SV FSO 40.28
9. Tsvetkov Dmitry IkNV Häme 40.36
10. Lakanen Jonne VaajTe K-S 40.52

10-Mila in darkness

In this year I was running a night-leg, the 5^th, for my club IF Sibbo Vargarna (SV).  I usually run last leg in bigger relays for my team, at least in the last couple of years, but now our coach ended up with a different tactic - “plan D”. The goal was to be as close to the top as possible after 5 legs, so that the rest of the guys would have it easier when they´re running in “faster” groups.

I tried to sleep/ rest in the evening before my leg, but I didn´t get any sleep. At 00.30 I went to competition centre from our accommodation together with 4^th leg runner. I felt very awake even if it was in the middle of the night when I was preparing for my start. I had only done one night-training this year, but it didn´t bother me at all. I knew that the terrain would be quite difficult and suite me well.

Runner before me came in at 49. place about 24 minutes behind the leading team. I started with full focus on orienteering and felt hungry for a good race. My technique worked well and I managed to run without any mistakes on the controls. Only two times I was little on the side from my “planned route”. I had enough strength to run the last steeper uphills in the end and still kept concentration at 100%. I came to changeover in 27. place 22 minutes behind the lead, so I was satisfied with my performance. It feels that my skill to keep concentration at high level during the whole race is even better this year.

team SV: (change position/finish)

1 – (13.) Miha C

2 – (?) Jallu S

3 – (?) Jani V

4 – (49.) Toni H

5 – (27.) Jörgen

6 – (?) Teemu V

7 – (?) Matti J

8 – (?) Vicke M

9 – (?) Daniel B

10 – (43.) Ken P

Long test-race for EOC at FinnSpring

First serious competition behind, the long-distance test-race for EOC was held in Rauma in southwestern Finland along with FinnSpring this weekend. The terrain was described to be fast. On open hills it was, but in between it was partly wet and rough. Overall it was a good, and technically demanding competition the whole 17,7 km. I had good feelings before the race, but I hadn´t done a lot of running in Finnish terrain before, and only one competition last weekend. This long distance is my favorite distance, so mental preparation is quite easy. I managed to do what I was going for; “a complete-focus-orienteering” all the way. Route choices went pretty well and no bigger mistakes, only some stopping to re-check smaller details cause of 1:15000 map. I ran a lot alone thanks to 3 minutes start intervalls and two butterflies. Running in these kind of terrains is not yet at top level at this time of year, but every time it´s getting easier.

M21E
1. Tero Föhr 1.40´24
2. Topi Anjala 1.42´26
3. Jörgen Wickholm 1.42´42
4. Timo Saarinen 1.42´56
5. Petteri Muukkonen 1.43´52
6. Vesa Taanila 1.44´02
7. Oskari Liukkonen 1.45´16
8. Mats Haldin 1.45´28
9. Olli-Markus Taivainen 1.45´40
10. Leonid Novikov 1.45´46

FinnSpring relay was held on Sunday. I ran the last leg in SV 1. Team. Guys before me (Mikhail C, Jani V, Toni H) had some difficulties keeping up with the leading teams, so we were fighting for a top 20. I went out 29. and finished 15.

M21
1. IKNV 3.06´40
2. Lynx 3.07´05
3. KR 3´07´22
…
15. SV 3.22´24

Siljarastit (and Huippuliiga 1/4)

Today I was competing in Sauvo (south-western part of Finland) and it was also season opening for me. Weather was windy and cloudy with degrees at 5 - 7c. I finished in 13th place 1´49 behind todays winner Pasi Ikonen. I´m quite happy with my performance, at least the orienteering was at a good level for the first start this year. Running didn´t feel so easy, probably cause of little running in terrain in Finland at high speed in this year cause of snowy terrains in Sipoo. The terrain and route was "almost easy" from the 5th control forward. Especially the flat open "hills" in the end was really fast. My only real miss came at the 5th when I was approaching little too much from the right side and went down in the slopes too late. Lost some 0´30 there. On the 7th I had problems getting down and lost 0´10 - 0´15 more. Rest of the couse I managed to run pretty much the way I planned and "orienteering-thinking" stayed ahead as it should. This race gave made me confident of my skills (I can still orienteer:) and now I can focus on upcoming important starts, already next weekend.

M21E 6,81km

1. Pasi Ikonen 36´57
2. Petteri Muukkonen 37´02
3. Hannu Airila 37´45
...
13. Jörgen Wickholm 38´46

Trainingcamp in Bulgaria 27.3-3.4

It has been a good camp with some nice orienteering trainings near the Black Sea. A couple of them with higher tempo in high-speed terrains and some low pace running to recover in between. Always so enjoyable to get a new map and go running in a snowfree forest, especially when there has been so much snow back home that running anywhere else than on roads has been impossible. (of course NOTHING is impossible, but it is hard to concentrate on orienteering when you´re plumsing in some 60 cm of snow...) My orienteering technique is getting better each day and running in terrain feels more and more natural. This camp is quite short, therefore more high-intensity trainings.

After this week it will be important to recover well before any harder trainings in this critical moment when new competition season is starting. My first start will probably be in Kevätyön viesti 10.4, but not if there is much snow in the forest. First individual start is going to be in Huippuliiga at Siljarastit 17.4.