First test with RGmapvideo

What a wonderful tool.

I'm now posting last weekend's movies even if I didn't have time to analyze them yet.
After many months without touching a map it was great to experience it again. My lack of shape can be checked in the heart rate area of the screen. =)

Now that I'm at home, it's so anoying to watch me wandering around the controls: "it's over there, asshole!". So much to improve this season. (Captured with 1080pFullHD (125º) - Check Youtube's max of 720pHD for more quality).

Relay - pace and map not exactly fitted.


Middle distance - (check my fall and twisted ankle to the 1st control, crossing the small stream).


In 2 hours I'm departing to Arronches International meeting, where Gueorgiou will also compete. I hope that my bronchitis and sore peroneal tendon will allow me to do a decent performance... we'll see...

along Thailand

So, the big exam was done. After 11 boring months I moved to Dubai/Thailand for 3 weeks with Rafaela. I really wanted to keep training but it was impossible.

Or the place was too hot...


Or too small...


Or too polluted... (ending with red eyes, and a sense in the mouth like if I'd been licking car engines for 1h)


During 3 weeks we did 3500km by public transport, 150km of which by boat...



... and was part of the medical team of the Ironman Asia Pacific and got really enthusiastic with Triathlon.


Overall, it ended being a really nice trip... The touristic places were really nice. The untouristed places made me, once more, remember the value of our European way of living.


In the second last day, and after 3 weeks eating in the street food stalls, I got a gastroenteritis at a McDonalds (!). Altogether, I lost 6kg, from which I'm still recovering (today's breakfast=5 waffles).

Now I have a loong way to recover the shape. Yesterday was the day zero! Let's go!

Contour Roam first test

I received it and I had to try it! The goal is to start analyzing my navigation in some months from now, but I concluded that it's also a nice camera to have some fun.

I made a short movie with footages from my usual Sunday long training session (20k) from my home, through Monsanto park (my

everyday playground), along the river and back
home.



Some notes about it:
- Trying to discover the best way to use the headband. In the 170º mode is difficult to hide my big head;
- Used 720p; 30fps; 170º. Haven't tried the full HD mode with more resolution;
- Didn't stabilize the image; my small PC wasn't able to do the job without loosing quality. I'll try VirtualDub later;
- Easy portable camera anywhere with a short "wow-start recording" time.

CONTOUR ROAM first test from migueorienteering on Vimeo.

And now, back to my boring life... A few weeks to go.

Accidental orienteering song?

I've stepped into this one that I had to share:

You're taken by the woods even though you're aware
of the slippery cliffs and the big black bears
and the salal snares taller than yourself
Ferns growing as thick as the trees
You're looking for a flag at the top of the hill
It's a race against the light
And one false step could mean staying the night
That's why you should never travel alone
You should never travel alone
and you know that one false step
and you might not make it home
And so you watch for loose rocks under your feet
Stepping onto wet stones, crossing over creeks
Climbing up cliffs and over dead trees
You watch your step, you get your footing right
A broken compass could mean staying the night
and you should always know where you're going
Even if you've got a map
you should always know where you're going
And you know that even if you've got a map
you might not make it home

You take your time just to breathe the air
and appreciate having never met a bear
You capture the flag at the top of the hill
With daylight to spare
Orienteering comes naturally
You read the map right
One wrong turn could mean staying the night
and though you carry your phone
You should never travel alone
And you know that
because one false step
and you might not make it home and

Even if you've got a map
and you know where you're going
You're still a long way from your home
And even if you've got a map
you should never travel alone
And you know that
But you're not dead yet
and you might just make it home

End of 2011 season

I've participated in the portuguese training camp to WOC 2012 27Sept-2Oct in Switzerland to close the season. The last race with a forest map had been 3 months before so I wasn't expecting too much. However I got better day by day and enjoyed the Swiss terrains. I liked the World Cup race but was disappointed by some avoidable losses of time.

TICKS, TICKS, TICKS...

In the last day in Swiss terrains I extracted a tick from my hand (had been there less than 2h). 2 days after I got swollen and painful axillary lymph nodes and I was advised to do antibiotic profilaxy to Lyme disease. Probably this is a recurrent thing among orienteerers once ticks are spread all over Europe, but in Portugal (and Iberic peninsula) it isn't a problem. Even if the rate of infected ticks with TBE (tick born encephalitis) is between 0.5% and 3%, I'm considering being vaccinated to TBE once I like to be on the safe side.

All over Switzerland 5-30% (up to 50%) of ticks are infected with the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. An estimated 3’000 people yearly contract the so-called Lyme disease caused by this bacterium. Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics.

In Switzerland, in 2005 the cases of TBE (tick born encephalitis) drastically increased with 200 cases, compared to an average of 100 per year during the preceding 5 years. Certain patients can experience paralysis of arms, legs or facial nerves, which can lead to permanent disabilities. There is a well-tolerated and efficient vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis.

+ info about ticks at here, here and here (last one by british orienteering).

WHAT'S NEXT...

Now, a 15 day deserved physical rest. Can't wait for next season. It'll be the first one as a doctor, rather than a student. Without exam seasons, that means 52 WHOLE free weekends per year to train as an animal. I've signed for Maratona Clube de Portugal, a club with world class athletes and I'm confident that I'll be able to improve my physical capabilities.

Monsanto moutain race

It was a 11.750m mountain race (Salomon calendar) in my everyday training place so I had to be there. The best guys from the north of the country made a long trip to be here. This time I was only 1' behind the best guy which is a considerable improvement compared to my last mountain races. Now I'm able to follow the pace while going uphill and in the flat parts but I loose a HUGE amount of time when going downhill (I think that my engine doesn't have that gear). I think that it's because of a lack of strength in the quadriceps once I don't consider that I'm afraid of the descend. Anyway I have promised myself that I won't run moutain races again in slick shoes.




I've spent the last days studying at home/faculty and it'll be like that until November; some days better, some days worse. I've kept doing intervals and training well just because I like it and can't live without it; I also face them as work done to the next season (even if, in the meanwhile, I'm going to rest for some weeks).

WOC Sprint - great day

It was my first WOC, and it was great.
Due to the lack of free time, I arrived in Aix-les-bains, 12h before the start of the Sprint qual. In the last weeks I beted on my homework, "doing" almost all the sprint maps from omaps.worldofo and using Visual motor behaviour rehearsal (VMBH), a nice athlete-related focus technique that I've read in a great psychology book a few months ago.

Sprint Qual. (times related to Heat winner) - It was the first international race where I was calm before the race (did it really work?). I always anticipated 2 controls in advance (maybe too much) and did a safe qualification to the final.
Sprint Final (times related to leg fastest time) - It was one of the greatest races of my life, not because of the result, but because of the athmosphere. I lost lots of time because of a lack of attitude once I don't have a straight idea of the competition speeds. I'm also too slow while I'm reading the map. These splits times will value a lot to check what I need to develop to get better results. I was physically fresh in the end and did good splits in the last part of the race. I ended in 39th, a result that I think that I'm able to improve.

(some photos from here and WorldofO and from Joao Dias and Filipe Dias)

Video coverage at here.
GPS at here.

Now, I'm back to Lisbon to go on with the studying routines.

About the future... I'm going to spend a lot of time studying until November. I'll keep training physically hard but it'll be difficult to get some free time to compete with a map in my hands. It'll work as some time apart, to come back with full focus and will to get better results.

WHAT a crazy weekend!

Saturday

10:00 Sprint selection races to WOC in Folgosinho, 2.0km, (80m), 12'46. This year, due to the amount of study that I have to cope with, I'm only fighting for a place in the Sprint in this year's WOC. I won with a 1'20 advantage to the 2nd. 10th control wasn't in the right place, so I lost 20'' there.


18:00 Bitten by a snake. Transported by ambulance to Guarda hospital (30min, with horn included) and a venous line in my arm, just in case. Did some blood tests, everything was alright, not a poisonous one. Back to Gouveia at 23:00. There is more info about iberian poisonous snakes (click the first link - in portuguese) here. I freaked out when I noticed it; however, their poison isn't deathly so there isn't much to worry about... I like to know what I face so you won't see me competing again without gaiters during the hot months.

Sunday

07:00 Woke up. Long journey by public transport back to Lisbon.

15:00 Arrived at Lisbon without having had lunch.

18:30 5000m race (Lisbon's regional champs). I wasn't in the mood to compete but my coach insisted. This day wasn't an exception to the last windy days as the following graph shows (at the track there was something between 4 and 5m/s):
The best guys did 14'45 (they usually do around 14'00). I caught a group that was too slow, didn't want to leave it because of the wind, misunderstood the "last lap signal" once we were passing slower runners and did 15'25 without suffering. This was my last chance this season to go under 15'. I love the feelings that track give. I wanted more when it ended... I want more for next season.

( are you sure that it has ended?)

Warm night races...

This weekend I went to "X Legua nocturna de Odivelas", a popular 5000m race near Lisbon with a great atmosphere. You may check the WHOLE race in the following video here. There was a freaking fast start with some attacks (all the 1st 3k under 3'00/km). After the 3rd km (when the climb started) I was alone, doing a calm last 2km. Final time 15'45.


After it, there was the "end of the season" dinner in front of Carcavelos beach. The coach made a nice speech about "the true things in life that give pleasure and unite us" and the "overestimated power of money nowadays".A special note to the European mountain running championships in Turkey - results here. The portuguese team got the 3rd place and 3rd individual position. All the 4 guys were top-20 which shows a strong equal team. Orienteerers David Schneider and Ionut Zinca were 10th and 12th. Next season I'll try my best to be there, already with some experience in the pocket.

The medical course finally ended and the master thesis presented. It was about cardiovascular risk factors and exercise. The professors from the Preventive Medicine Institute liked it and there are some new projects in sight. After the final Gala, I immersed in books. Until November it'll all be about studying to the big exam.

15'17 at 5k

Nice race yesterday in Lisbon. It was too windy with none of the sprint races approved because of a 3.5m/s wind. I wanted to go below 15' and I started well with 1k 2'58; 2k 5'56; 3k 8'55. After it, I was alone and didn't even notice how much I slowed down in the last 2k. I kind of liked it and didn't suffer much in the first 3k ending in 3rd. I really have to repeat it this season and now I'm sure that it's an achievable goal. My passion for the track is growing from day to day..