Bye Annecy, Welcome to Wien

Last weekend's WC was disastrous to me.
Orient'Show - It was a funny race. Did it to the semi-finals where a mispunch spoiled it all. Results and maps from Orient'Show here.
Sprint - Even if I felt that the 1st control wasn't that tricky I lost lots of time inside the garden. Some more mistakes (a 40'' one to 10th) and a lack of shape did the rest.
Long - It was the toughest of my life. Started well. However I lost time in the loops and did the biggest mistake of the last seasons. I decided to quit but then re-localized myself and wanted to do the rest of the race. The hypoglicemia due to a lack of trains for this distance did the rest of the mistakes. The map wasn't that difficult; the problem was that the map contact that I had during the race wasn't not even close of what is needed.

Then we had 3 great days of trainings in Woc2011 relevant terrain. At the beginning I had some difficulty in knowing what is/isn't represented in the map once the terrain is (even) more detailed than it seems to be in the map. I felt confident in the last trains and I really want to come back to keep developing in those terrains. In fact, I'm just a Sissy running in those terrains.



Welcome to Wien.
Then I did the night train to Wien where I had an interesting talk with a pakistanese businessman and a Sri-Lanka emmigrant.
In the last 3 days I've done a 4 loops night train near Wien, nice forest running sessions with Tobias Killmann (today, a total of 28km running), explored all the corners of the city...

... and was 2nd in today's International Wien Kahlenberglauf (the mountain race, almost 9k, 400m climb) after David Schneider, the Swiss orienteerer, with whom I'll do some trains in the next weeks.



Tomorrow I'll start at the AKH. It looks more like a shopping center (with lots of space and a Starbucks inside) rather than a Hospital. We'll see...

Iberian Championships

Great organization in this competition that took place in the center of the country.

Middle distance, 6,3k (200m), 30c - I started carefully because I wasn't sure about my navigation after the summer rest. Lost time to the 7th, 10th, 11th and an huge amount of time from 25th to the finish line. Caught some athletes, oversimplified and ended loosing time. I was vice-champion, 15'' after Tiago Aires.

Sprint distance, 3,1k (90m), 25c - I definitely underestimated the map. I tought that it would be too easy and it was the worst sprint race I can remember. I fell at all the traps. To the 7th a too bad option and to the 8th, the end of the race where I passed the passage of the tunnel.


Long distance, 12,5k (400m), 30c - In this kind of terrains I've to start making straighter routes. Big deviation to the 1st. Lots and lots of smaller mistakes. Huge one to the 21st (4'!). In the final part of the race, there were no miracles and my lack of shape didn't allow me to push harder.
As I was talking with Ionut in the end, for me it's easier to technically loose 3min in a race than winning 3min by running harder. I've to take it easier and rely more on the map. After re-fueling my energies I still had the strength to spend a great afternoon surfing at Supertubos with 25ºC.

Now I'm packing all the stuff to the next week's WC in Annecy and to the next 3 months in Vienna. We'll see...

The orienteering flow

As an orienteerer you've probably have experienced a race where everything seems to fit in. Where everything seems easy and you just float between the controls. I have had that feeling, but only too seldom.

Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi, a Hungarian psychology professor that spent a great part of his life studying this phenomenon in many areas, identifies the following 10 factors as accompanying an experience of flow:
1. Clear goals (expectations and rules are discernible and goals are attainable and align appropriately with one's skill set and abilities). Moreover, the challenge level and skill level should both be high.
2. Concentrating, a high degree of concentration on a limited field of attention (a person engaged in the activity will have the opportunity to focus and to delve deeply into it).
3. A loss of the feeling of self-consciousness, the merging of action and awareness.
4. Distorted sense of time, one's subjective experience of time is altered.
5. Direct and immediate feedback (successes and failures in the course of the activity are apparent, so that behavior can be adjusted as needed).
6. Balance between ability level and challenge (the activity is neither too easy nor too difficult).
7. A sense of personal control over the situation or activity.
8. The activity is intrinsically rewarding, so there is an effortlessness of action.
9. A lack of awareness of bodily needs (to the extent that one can reach a point of great hunger or fatigue without realizing it)
10. People become absorbed in their activity, and focus of awareness is narrowed down to the activity itself, action awareness merging.

And there are 3 conditions that are necessary to achieve the flow state:
1. One must be involved in an activity with a clear set of goals. This adds direction and structure to the task.
2. One must have a good balance between the perceived challenges of the task at hand and his or her own perceived skills. One must have confidence that he or she is capable to do the task at hand.
3. The task at hand must have clear and immediate feedback. This helps the person negotiate any changing demands and allows him or her to adjust his or her performance to maintain the flow state.

And I take a shot suggesting that this so called Flow may be a remaining capability of our "persistence hunter" ancestors that made our vulnerable specie to survive in a hostile world for so many years, transforming us in the Runner's specie. It's a theme that is physiologically and anthropologically so fashion nowadays and that may amaze you in the following video... isn't that guy in "the flow"??

Difficult to breathe while training? Could it be EIB?

Yes, I'm an asthmatic guy since I was born. In my childhood I've had some pretty bad moments but with a 3h train everyday in the competitive class at the swimming pool, my asthma almost disappeared during my teenage years.

2 years ago (the 1st moment I can recall is the National Long Distance Championships in 2009) I started to have a strange feeling while running at high intensity. I had the distressing and anxious feeling that the air couldn't reach my lungs, something completely different from the asthma that I could recall.

Since January 2010 it got pretty intensive. I've talked with my Immunoalergologist and she told me that "it wasn't anything special" (after all, I could run anyway and she had tougher cases to solve than me). Moreover, my lungs started to burn after track sessions... and in the second half of the season, even if I did 13 training sessions a week, I worsened (a lot) all my track and race times. I was desperate!

Last friday it was supposed to be my 1st track session of the season: 4x1000. I started well but, suddenly, after the 1st serie I had to quit and rest in a bench and it got really difficult to breathe. I thought that this couldn't be normal and immersed myself in abstracts and books...

... and found this:

Exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) is an often-undiagnosed but common problem affecting both recreational and elite athletes. Although Exercise can trigger exacerbation of chronic asthma, EIB should not be confused with the chronic inflammatory disease. While in the past, athletes were forced out of competition because of exercise-induced bronchospasm, today they can frequently get back in the stride with their peers.

EIB is defined as the transient constriction of the airways as a consequence of vigorous exertion. It occurs in about 12% to 15% of the US general population. Of patients with chronic asthma, 70% to 90% have an exercise component to their disease. As many as 40% of patients with allergic rhinitis also have EIB. However, between 5% and 10% of patients with EIB have no concomitant respiratory or allergic disease.

Olympians have been studied to quantify the incidence of EIB among elite athletes. About 11% of US Olympians who participated in the 1984 Olympic Summer Games met the criteria for EIB.These athletes won 41 medals, a testament to EIB's prevalent but controllable nature. Of the US Olympians who participated in the 1998 Olympic Winter Games, 17% admitted the need for medication for their exercise-induced symptoms.The incidence of EIB in a recent study involving US Army recruits6 was about 7%, but it had no effect on physical performance during basic training.

Clinical Symptoms
EIB presents in various ways, and patients report both obvious and vague complaints.
Symptoms during or following exercise include the following :
Chest tightness or pain
Cough
Shortness of breath
Wheezing
Underperformance or poor performance on the field of play
Fatigue
Prolonged recovery time

Symptom onset usually occurs 5 to 10 minutes after the start of exercise but may take longer in a conditioned athlete. Chest pain rarely indicates cardiac disease in children. In a study by Wiens and colleagues,16 up to 72% of children with chest pain met the criteria for EIB. Adults present with wheezing and dyspnea more often than do children. A patient's inability to keep up with his or her peers is an important detail in history taking in pediatric and adolescent athletes. (...)

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Yesterday I've started a new anti-inflammatory medication (not doping) and I can't remember ever breathing so well. I'm really enthusiastic with this and can't wait for testing myself again (and check if it was a placebo).

...and can't understand why Salbutamol (the classic asthmatic inhaler) is still prohibited by WADA:

There appears to be no justification to prohibit inhaled beta(2)-agonists from the point of view of the ergogenic effects.
Do inhaled beta(2)-agonists have an ergogenic potential in non-asthmatic competitive athletes?
Kindermann W. Institute of Sports and Preventive Medicine, University of Saarland, Saarbrücken, Germany

We concluded that no ergogenic effects were attributable to salbutamol, which should therefore remain a legitimate drug for the management of athletes with asthma participating in international sporting events.
Is Salbutamol Ergogenic?: the Effects of Salbutamol on Physical Performance in High-Performance Nonasthmatic Athletes

Inhaled salbutamol, even in a high dose, did not have a significant effect on endurance performance in non-asthmatic athletes
Effects of inhaled salbutamol in exercising non-asthmatic athletes.
Goubault C, Perault MC, Leleu E, Bouquet S, Legros P, Vandel B, Denjean A.

In conclusion, inhaled formoterol did not improve endurance performance compared to placebo.
Can asthma treatment in sports be doping? The effect of the rapid onset, long-acting inhaled beta2-agonist formoterol upon endurance performance in healthy well-trained athletes.
Carlsen KH, Hem E, Stensrud T, Held T, Herland K, Mowinckel P.

1st race after Summer

It was in the north of the country in an orienteering area that isn't properly explored.

1 - Middle distance, 7,4k (345m), 66'35 (8,59min/km) - I wasn't exepceting anything special. 2 months without a map is too much and I just wanted to return to the competition rythm. I did some mistakes:
- a huge one to 10th; wrong hill!
- to 11th, I was too afraid of the greens
- to 15th, couldn't find the right path through the greens
- and to 17th, an erratic navigation (and got stuck in the greens near the control). My rythm wasn't anything special but it could be worse for the part of the season.

2 - Sprint distance, 2,4k (120m), 15'42 (6,32min/km) - My pace isn't at its best. Moreover, I did some bad options:
- 5th, ran by the right (straight is better, of course)
- 13th, ran by the small river (had the impression that the straigth option would climb too much).
I have spent an impressive 24% of the race above 6min/km. I need to be more aggressive and avoid unnecessary slowdowns.


...and I'll leave you with Norway's both-WOC's song:



Well, what are we doing in the kingdom of the moose
There's twigs inside our trousers
there's mud inside our shoes
The temperature is rising
We pant and sweat as I sing a tune

Something really really strange is happening this year
In Grimstad, that is Norway on the south side, if you care
The woods are overflowing
with people to-and-fro-ing, my oh my!
And that's all we'll do this season,
I'll tell you all the reason why

We are bushmen
All we wanna do
is sweat our way through the woods
we are bushmen, now isn't it good,
the famous Norwegian wood

Well some might say we're crazy, 'cause we're always on the run
while everybody else is lazing in the summer sun
but we are only happy with smelly clothes and maps in our hands
And if you think that it stinks
Then you ain't got the instincts
and you'll never understand!

Holidays...

I didn't start my holidays by the best way. Unfortunately, my dear grandfather died and I felt lucky to had been with him in his last days.

During my mourning period I ran a lot in the highest portuguese mountains with every sessions in the hills between 1h30 and 2h00. I've also read amazing books and found some controversial stuff as:
- DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is not a consequence of lactate but a consequence of muscle micro-ruptures and inflamation (Lactate levels return to normal 30min after the session and the soreness only appears 1 or 2 days later). Then, should we stretch after tough sessions?
- VMBR (visual motor behaviour rehearsal) - Amazing! I think that I'll use it a lot in the future in orienteering. Is this what Tero calls "feel like running in your backyard?". I'll try to train it in the first competitions of the season.
- Sport beverages are a hoax (and the money that we spend on them) - Our blood Natremia is 140mM. Do the 18mM from sport beverages really make any difference? By forcing to drink it we're only doing the opposite: diluting the blood.
- Cramps are not related at all with electrolyte depletion. But they seem to be a consequence of an inhibition of the muscle inhibitors called Golgi organs.
- Tiredness is more related with body temperature (hypothalamus) and neural functions rather than all the stuff that we're used to think about (and that we learn at medical schools).

Then I went to Marrakesh with some friends. Did some legendary morning runs in the narrow streets. My tourist map was so bad that I often got lost in the 2m-wide streets and had to ask some policeman for "Jemna el Fna" (the main plaza). I moved then to Taghazout, the surfer's paradise and:
- danced in a wedding at McDonalds
- experienced what 55ºC is
- surfed for hours without wetsuit in warm sea water (until my belly skin got irritated by the surfboard). Some nice waves but too small for the season.
- grudged with the streets salesmen (those guys are tougher than the chineses)




Then I went to Chamonix with the best possible company. Spend some amazing days trekking in the mountains between 2200m and 3800m. Chamonix is a paradise on earth and the locals are really friendly. I'll be back with proper equipment to climb those Glaciers. I've also spent some days in Switzerland and Geneva as a tourist.




The last time that I ran with a map was in June. Now it's time to start all over again and it'll be this Saturday in the north of the country.

Physically, I've been "feel running" since the beginning of August and I've re-discovered the beauty of it. I feel that I've improved my stride by forefooting and I'm feeling pretty well right now. Today I've officialy started my "serious" training plan.

Oh and, by the way, this week I've received the new that I've already won the Portuguese Ranking Cup of 2009/2010 with 4 races to go. This was something tottaly unexpected for me that I usually don't fight for once I always have to miss some competitions during the year... but it's always a nice new to receive.

The last days...

Finnaly I've finished the last exam season of my life. It was tough, with many 12h studying days (it was definitely a Long distance race) but it's done.

In the last days I've been feeling really distressed. I miss navigating with a map a lot (sigh)! Even if we supposedly are in the peak of the season of the new portuguese calendar there aren't any competitions and the big one's outside Portugal have already taken place.

I didn't stop running at all (I kept a 30min/day basis). Now I'm returning to the 1h again. It's a bit difficult to cope with all this hot days (42ºC!!) - last Sunday I almost died with a 5h MTB train with Nelson where I drank 4,5L of water! I've been doing a lot of strenght training and proprioception exercises. I've also been training with my lightweigth shoes. At the beginning, my calf muscles were always completely sore but now I've been enjoying it a lot.

Now, apart from studying german and working on my master thesis, I've been reading about my other interests (my book list that I've formed during the year). Some of them have really nice applications to Orienteering:
- Brain training for runners
- Mental training for peak performance
- The Runners Body
- Lance Amstrong - My journey back to life

Can't wait for start competing again. I haven't planned the next season properly yet but I hope that it'll be a legendary one. We'll see...

Boring...

Since the EOC, my life had a 180º turn. Portugal isn't participating in this year's WOC so the season (before August) is over.

In the meanwhile, last saturday, I've participated in an Orienteering mass start in Leiria. I wasn't happy with my performance. I did 2 major mistakes, to 11th and 25th and I ended 2nd overall. It was a great way to break the routine and spend one morning with the folks.
I've been doing some work for the future in the last days. According to coache's orders, I've been only running 50min per day and doing lots of short intervals at track in order to develop speed. I've also been spending entire days at the library studying for the last exam season of my life.

I would like to compete in one or another athletics event in the coming days but I think that I won't have enough library-free time to participate in any. So now it's just training for myself without stress and I've been enjoying it a lot.

Hopefully it'll all be over by the end of July and I'll start preparing the Iberian/Latin countries Championships and the French World Cup in October. Then I'll move my bags to Vienna where I'll spend 3 months in a Surgical rotation (and hopefully also training a lot).

And yes, we're eliminated by our neighbours in the South Africa's championships. The nice part of it is that I won't have to hear the annoying Vuvuzelas again in the coming days... =)

EOC 2010

I've just came from Bulgaria and I really have to write about the last days which were fantastic.
This was my first international competition as a senior. I've traveled to Primorsko with the portuguese team 1week before the competition in order to get used to the kind of terrain. It was a really productive week with twice a day training sessions. This was the first time that anything like this was done in the portuguese team and I think it helped a lot.

My personal goal for this competition was to get to the Final A in as many races as I could.

In the Sprint Qualification I did some mistakes (approximately the amount of time that would put me in a Final A - 36sec). However I wasn't also fast enough and I ended the same day running the Final B in a training pace in order to recover to the next day's qualification.

In the Long Qualification I ran completely headless. I changed all my navigation routines and I only thought about running fast. It was a really bad race where I wasn't able to cope with the stress.

In the Middle qualification I wasn't fast enough. I did 2 big mistakes, to the 7th and 11th. I wasn't satisfied at all with my race.

Then it came the Relay. Due to my not so good results I started in the first position of the portuguese 2nd team. It was an awesome experience. I ran in the 1st group until the 4th where I made a mistake. Then I ran the rest of my race alone until the spectator control where I caught Russia1. I made some mistakes in the end and ended the race with Austria1 and Germany1. I really enjoyed the race and it was a good experience in order to learn from the paces at the front.




Then it was the Middle Final (B). I was much more relaxed, I had already messed it up! And ended in 12th with a regular race. I liked my pace in the controls after the spectator control.

Finnaly, it was the Long Final (B) (the following maps is from the Final A, a course with some differences). I wasn't calm enough and I did too many deviations that costed me a lot of time in a map where the best route choice was most of the times under the red line.


It's tough to get ready to this kind of terrains when we have completely different terrains in Portugal. We aren't used to this amount of climb and to this closed forest and I think that I'll have to change some of my physical training methods.

I learned a lot from this experience. Now I know the performance needed to a Final A and I must say that it isn't anything special. I must say that we, portuguese, need to compete more often in the international environment in order to develop and I'll catch all the opportunities that I have.

Today it costed me a lot to get back to the routine at the Hospital. The next month will be tough and I'll cut in my training loads in order to prepare myself for the last exam season of my life (yes!).

Absolute National Championships

Recently it was the National Absolute Championships. The maps were near Lisbon, with lots of paths and some greens.

In the qualification, I managed my effort, did an easy race and was selected to the Final A. I won't probably do this type of management again once I wasn't able to benefit from some of the packs that were formed in the last group of athletes during the Final.

In the Final A race, I wasn't fast enough and I did mistakes. The map was really easy and I wasn't able to fully focus on it.